Keeper's Maze
by Lyra-Con
Summary: It has been three years since Danny was allegedly killed, and Sam is having trouble letting go. Unable to accept that he is really gone, Sam goes on a search that leads her into a dark and disturbing realm known as Keeper’s Maze. DxS.
1. Prologue

Prologue

_I keep dreaming of light. Whenever I drift out of consciousness, I dream of a place where there is light. There are people in this place, people that I know. I see their faces – brief, flashing images that disappear too quickly for me to absorb detail – and I know that I love them. I love them all differently, but I love each one of them. That one – an older male, large and clumsy – makes me feel... a warm, humorous sort of affection. And that one, the girl with red hair. She makes me feel... frustrated, yet supported. There's another girl, but her hair is dark. My feelings toward her are definitely romantic. And a boy – a brother? Or a friend? And a woman, strong and caring. I know them. I love them. There is an ache in my chest that swells when I think of them, when I think of that place where there is light._

_But what is worse, what is much worse, is that I can't remember who they are. What is that place of light? Surely it has always been dark here, and I have always been in the dark... haven't I? The Enemy and I, we fight here. We have always fought here. We always will fight here. It has always been so. It always will be so. These visions cannot be real. I am deluded, demented. I need to put my head on straight._

_But... I still keep having dreams of light._


	2. The Yearly Gathering

Chapter 1: The Yearly Gathering

"Sam? Are you alright?" Samantha Manson flinched with surprise as she felt the gentle pressure of a hand on her shoulder. She was standing in the Fenton's basement, staring down at the bronze memorial plaque that sat in front of the now inoperable ghost portal. Her raven hair fell into her face, casting stripes of shadow across her porcelain skin.

"Yeah, Jazz. I'm fine," Sam said to the redheaded woman behind her. "I just miss him."

"We all do," said Jazz, giving Sam's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "It's hard to believe how long he's been gone."

"Three years today," said Sam as she turned to face Jazz.

"Yes, it was good of you to come. Tucker doesn't come anymore."

"He thinks that yearly memorial services are depressing," Sam said with a cheerless smile. "Besides, technical colleges keep people pretty busy."

"To tell the truth," said Jazz, "he probably has the healthiest attitude about all of this. He grieved, and then moved on."

"Yeah," Sam sighed, lowering her gaze to the floor.

"Sam," Jazz continued, "Mom and Dad hold these yearly services because Danny was their son and they feel that they owe it to him. I'm his sister, so I have to come each year. What I don't understand is why you keep showing up when you have no familial obligation. Don't get me wrong, we are happy to have you, but I worry that you aren't allowing yourself to let go."

"Is that the sort of thing they teach you at shrink school?" Sam grumbled. Jazz placed a hand on her hip and frowned.

"I'm just trying to help, Sam."

"I know, I know," Sam apologized. "And you're right, I haven't let go. It's just..."

"Just what?"

"What makes you so sure he's dead, Jazz?" Sam blurted out.

"Are you serious? That's why you keep coming here? Year after year, you show up because you think he's still alive!"

"Yes!" said Sam. "I can't help it! I can't accept that he would be killed so easily!"

"Sam," Jazz said, shaking her head, "whatever that ghost did to him made him... dissipate! No one could survive that!"

"No _human_," Sam insisted.

"You think I didn't have those exact same thoughts?" Jazz replied, exasperated. "I used to come down here at night and wait, hoping that he would materialize from the shadows. As the weeks passed I would tell myself that he was just trying to figure out how he was going to explain his reappearance, or that maybe he was fighting some battle in the Ghost Zone. Why do you think I convinced my parents to keep the ghost portal operational for an entire year?" Jazz let out a stifled, uncomfortable laugh. "They thought that I was trying to coax them into not giving up ghost hunting. I guess in some ways it still feels wrong to tell them Danny's secret. I'd still feel like I was betraying him."

"Well, they _did _give up ghost hunting, and the portal _has_ been shut down, so if he is alive in the Ghost Zone there is no way we're going to find him, is there?" Sam's face was flushed and her violet eyes were puffy with held back tears. Jazz placed a hand delicately on the younger woman's cheek and brushed a dark strand of hair behind Sam's ear.

"I know it has been especially tough for you," Jazz cooed. "We all know how you felt about Danny, and it is tragic that the two of you never got a chance. But you have to move on, Sam. He's gone." Jazz kissed Sam gently on the forehead, then turned and disappeared up the stairs.

"Funny," whispered Sam as she watched Jazz leave, "it doesn't _feel _like he's gone."


	3. Hunger

Chapter 2: Hunger

_I can't stop thinking about it._

_I keep playing the events over and over again in my mind, reliving every painful second of the day when I lost my son. It all happened so fast. We were in the lab. My husband and I were arguing about some technical detail that I no longer remember. Danny and his friends were busy cleaning up some mess they had made doing God-knows-what, while Jazz was trying to psychoanalyze the entire family to death._

_None of us saw it coming. None of us had any idea what was about to happen. In an instant – and yet it was an instant that felt like an eternity – everything changed. I remember hearing the low buzz of the ghost portal opening. I remember the sickly green flash of light flooding my vision. And then, just like that, he was gone. _

_The ghost that hovered in the center of the room was unlike any I had ever seen. It was humanoid, but I doubt that it had ever been anything close to a human. It was pallid, tall, and lanky, but its stomach bulged like a gourd with sticks for limbs. The thing's flesh seemed writhe with faces, images, words – so many thousands of things that I could not distinguish what any of them were. It gave the creature an iridescence that was terrifying, but the most frightening thing about it was its gaze. The black holes that passed for eyes seemed as though they were going to suck you in. There was no expression in that face. Only emptiness. Only... hunger. There wasn't even a mouth, just those ravenous eyes..._

_I remember feeling like I was outside of my body, watching the scene from a distance. I was sure that those eyes would devour me as the thing turned its horrible gaze in my direction. There was nothing I could do. I was completely paralyzed. I just stood there like stone and waited for it to suck my life away. But it didn't. It took my son. It destroyed my world. And then, it just vanished._

"I know what you're doing, Maddie, and you have to stop." Jack Fenton settled down in a chair next to his wife. She was sitting in the kitchen, staring blankly over the rim of a cup of rapidly cooling tea.

"I can't help it," Maddie choked. "I get lost in that awful moment and I can't stop dwelling on it."

"Maddie, please," said Jack, stroking her now grey-streaked hair, "please stop torturing yourself –"

"WHY HIM!" Maddie slammed her cup on the table, shattering it into a tea-soaked pile of broken ceramic. "Why did that ghost kill OUR SON! Why kill a sixteen year old boy? Why not us? Why not me?" Her hands trembled as a wail hefted its way out from her chest. Jack wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, feeling her body convulse with each sob. He said nothing, he simply held her and allowed her tears to soak through his tee shirt. He had been through this ritual enough times now to know that there was nothing he could say or do to make it better. He just had to wait.

After several minutes the crying stopped, and Maddie pulled away from her husband looking as empty as she felt.

"I don't understand why it didn't kill all of us," she whispered.

"I don't know," replied Jack, "But you can't keep doing this to yourself, sweetheart. I can't afford to lose you too."

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A/N: Many heartfelt thanks to my reviewers. I really, really appreciated it.


	4. Answers

Chapter 3: Answers

Tucker Foley took another sip of coffee as he stared at the images on his computer screen. It was three in the morning, and the tiny dorm room he occupied was dark save for the soft glow that came from his computer. The low rumble of a snore echoed from the other side of the room, and Tucker looked at his sleeping roommate with envy.

_Dammit, Sam. I have a test tomorrow! Why do you always need me to find something when I have tests the next day?_

Tucker let out a heavy sigh as it occurred to him that is _was _the next day. He looked back to the information displayed on his computer screen and continued to to scroll down miles and miles of text.

College students have always been known to stay up all night, but it usually involves school work or partying. All-nighters do _not _involve hacking into classified government files at the request of an obsessed goth – at least, not usually.

And yet there Tucker was, robbing himself of precious sleep as he had done so many times before in order to appease his friend. He had already spent countless nights, researching ghost sightings around the world, sifting through tabloids, pulling up files on Vlad Masters, but he never got any results. Every once in awhile he would find some lead that would send Sam on a wild goose chase. Last year, a sighting of a ghost that seemed to match Danny's description had Sam running all the way to Arizona just to check it out. In the end she turned up nothing, and Tucker tried to convince her that it was time to give up. He told her that it was time to let go.

But the truth was, Tucker still found himself holding onto a sliver of hope every now and again. He didn't wear himself out looking for answers as often as he did simply to humor Sam, and he certainly wouldn't risk arrest like this just because Sam asked him to. He wanted her to be right. As much as he claimed to have moved on, he still would love to see Sam prove everyone – including himself – wrong.

_It's been three years, _he told himself. _You'd think that if there was something to find I'd have found it by now..._

Tucker slumped back in his chair and closed his eyes, allowing his black-rimmed glasses to fall slightly down the bridge of his nose. He was tired. He had classes to worry about. He should be sleeping like the lawn mower on the other side of the room.

_Ah, his snoring would keep me up anyway, _thought Tucker, opening his eyes and leaning forward again. He forced himself to focus on the screen, pushing his glasses back into place. _Maybe there really is something I have been missing all this time. Maybe I just haven't been looking in the right –_

"OH MY GOD!" Tucker screamed, clutching the edge of his desk. He blinked a few times to make sure that what he saw on his computer screen was not the product of sleep deprivation, then immediately started downloading the information onto his PDA. He did not notice the pillow that was launched into his back by an angry, woken roommate.


	5. Keeper and Hollow

Chapter 4: Keeper and Hollow

"You look like you've had a rough night, Hollow," Keeper said, a vicious grin spreading across his grey, skeletal face. His yellow, reptilian eyes flashed with amusement as Hollow floated wearily into the dark chamber where the two of them always met.

"Shut it, Keeper," Hollow hissed in low voice that seeped out of him like steam. Hollow had no mouth with which to speak, but his voice seemed to echo out from his entire body. He turned his empty eyes toward Keeper, the images in his skin writhing furiously. Hollow's face was incapable of showing any expression other than hunger, but his flesh told Keeper that he was angry.

Keeper's grin stretched wide, consuming the majority of his face. He and Hollow were allies, but that didn't mean that Keeper didn't delight in Hollow's torture. Keeper delighted in _everyone's_ torture. Keeper slid up to his compatriot, moving like liquid, and pressed his bony face close to Hollow's. He stared fearlessly into the hungry pits that were Hollow's eyes.

"He wore you out again, didn't he?" Keeper simpered, his high pitched voice lilting melodically. "The Phantom kept you busy, busy, busy. He is a troublesome one, isn't he? Always looking for a fight, even though he has no idea who he is."

"I can handle the halfa," Hollow growled.

"I should hope so," Keeper taunted. "We wouldn't want him remembering and escaping, now would we? No, no, that would be quite problematic."

"Your little maze has held him for three years, Keeper," Hollow said. "There shouldn't be anything to worry about... unless you're trying to tell me that it isn't strong enough to keep him forever."

"Of course not!" Keeper snapped, his grin transforming into a scowl. "My maze holds thousands, and one little human-ghost hybrid _freak_ can't break what I've made! It is not wise to insult my work, Hollow. Don't forget who feeds you. Don't forget who provides you with all those tasty memories and feelings. If it weren't for my maze –"

"Your maze would never work without me, Keeper," Hollow interjected. "I do both your collecting _and _your maintenance. You need me as much as I need you." Keeper swallowed hard, then plastered on an obviously forced smile. He hated it when Hollow was right.

"Of course, of course," Keeper said, placing a delicate hand on Hollow's shoulder. "Now, I know that the Phantom is not as complacent as our other prizes –"

"He's the only one who fights me at all! He's the only one that still resists!"

"I know, I know," Keeper soothed. "But I'll bet he _tastes _better than any of the others."

"Yes..." said Hollow. "Yes, he does taste awfully good."

"So why don't you go feed some more, Hollow my friend." A glimmer of images rippled across Hollow's otherwise empty face. Keeper knew exactly what to say to keep Hollow on his side.

"I _am _hungry," said Hollow, who turned and eagerly vacated the chamber.

"Of course you are," said Keeper with a sneer. "You're _always _hungry."

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A/N: Thank you again for the reviews. I was going to wait another day or so before I put this chapter up to give myself a chance to catch up a little, but then changed my mind. I kinda like this chapter, so I've been eager to share it.


	6. PDA Snatching

Chapter 5: PDA Snatching

"Recognize this ghost?" Tucker said as he slid his PDA across the table. He and Sam were sitting in a secluded corner of the café just down the street from the Amity Park Technical Institute. The early morning sun pierced through the blinds on the window next to the table Tucker and Sam occupied, painting stripes of light on the opposite wall. Sam reached for the PDA, doing her best to make it look inconspicuous. The café was almost completely empty, but there was still the occasional waiter to look out for. Sam gazed down at the PDA, and as her eyes fell upon the blurry image on the screen, she let out a small gasp.

"That's it! That's the ghost from three years ago!"

"The picture isn't very clear," said Tucker, "but it sure does look like it, doesn't it? Three years I've been looking for any sign of this thing, and this is the first report on it I've found."

"Good work, Tuck!" Sam said. "I knew you'd find something eventually."

"Yeah, well don't start getting your hopes up just yet," Tucker said. "The reports on this thing are kinda vague."

Sam's mauve lips arched downward into a slight frown. "So why did you call me and tell me you found something big?"

"Well," said Tucker, "apparently this ghost has been linked to several disappearances. Danny was not its only victim." Tucker paused and bit his lower lip. It suddenly occurred to him that it might not be a good idea to tell Sam everything he had discovered.

"Go on," Sam said after several moments of silence.

Tucker reached over the table and clasped Sam's hands in both of his. He discreetly wriggled his fingers between hers, slightly loosening her grip on the PDA.

"Sam," he said, looking her straight in the eye, "if I share what I found with you, will you promise not to do anything stupid?"

"What? Why?" cried Sam, jerking her hands away from Tucker's. Tucker had expected her to react like this, and managed to snatch the PDA from her before she had the chance to get a closer look at the information. "What are you hiding from me, Tucker?"

"I'm not hiding anything, Sam!" Tucker said, clutching the PDA close to his chest to keep it away from her – an action that did not support his words. "I just don't want you to freak out!"

"Then tell me!" Sam shouted, completely disregarding the need to keep a low profile. She lunged forward, grabbed Tucker by the shoulders, and began shaking him furiously. "WHAT DID YOU FIND, TUCKER?"

"A P-PORTAL!" Tucker screamed, his arms flailing in a wild attempt to push Sam off of him.

Sam immediately let go of Tucker, who snapped back into his chair and slammed his head against the backrest. She paused, blinking as she registered what Tucker had said.

"What kind of portal?" Sam asked finally, her voice quiet once more.

"I don't know," said Tucker, rubbing his head and pushing his glasses back into place. "I don't know where it goes. I don't know how it got there. All I know is that this – this THING seems to have been using it to get into this world for a long time."

"How long?" asked Sam, her eyes wide.

"I don't know. Decades. Maybe centuries. The fact that the Fentons had a ghost portal was merely a convenience. And I doubt that it went back to any part of the Ghost Zone we've ever known about. Whatever this portal is, it may be the only sure way to find where that ghost came from."

"Alright," said Sam. "So where is this portal?"

Tucker sighed and stuffed his PDA back into his pocket. "Sam, I don't want to tell you. Not yet. Just... let me do some more research, ok?"

"Tucker!"

"Sam, please!" Tucker rose to his feet and looked down at his friend. "Please, I have a test in two hours and I haven't slept. I just want to find out more about this before I give you the location."

Sam stared up at Tucker for some time, trying to wear him down with her gaze. Tucker stared back, and eventually it became clear that there was no intimidating him this time. She needed a new tactic.

Sam lowered her violet eyes to the floor and nodded reluctantly. As she looked down, her breathing became heavy and erratic. When Tucker eyed her face, he could see that she was crying.

"Oh God, Sam," Tucker said, kneeling down to embrace his friend. "It'll be ok. You'll get through this, I promise." Sam threw her arms around him and squeezed, her hand gravitating toward his pocket. She stayed there a moment, then pulled away.

"Thanks, Tuck" she said, wiping her eyes with one hand while thrusting the other behind her back. "I guess I really needed that."

"I'm always here for you, Sam," Tucker soothed. "But I really need to go take a power nap. You gonna be ok?"

"I'll be fine," Sam said, waving him off. "You go ahead."

Tucker patted Sam on the shoulder, dropped his share for the check, and made his way out of the café. Sam watched him leave, and as the door shut behind him a sly smile crept across her pale face.

"Now," she said as she triumphantly pulled the PDA out from behind her, "where am I going?"


	7. On With the Chase

Chapter 6: On With the Chase

"INDIA?" Jazz screamed into her cell phone as she slammed the front door to her apartment shut. "What do you mean you might have _accidentally _sent Sam to India?" Jazz had only just arrived home when her phone rang, and it had already been a long day. She had spent a full eight hours working at her internship, dealing with psychiatrists and patients alike. She was tired, hungry, and her feet were swollen from running around in heels all day. She hadn't even gotten a chance to change out of her business clothes. This was the last thing she needed.

"It's not my fault!" Tucker's voice protested through the speaker. "She tricked me into hugging her and then she swiped my PDA! I didn't even realize she had done it until about half an hour ago."

"You should never have been helping her in the first place, Tucker," Jazz scolded. "It was bad enough when her obsession was unhealthy, but now it has become dangerous! Do you realize what sort of things might happen to her?"

"You don't need to make me feel any worse about it, Jazz."

"You're right, Tucker," Jazz said, taking a deep breath to calm herself. "I'm sorry. Maybe we can stop her if we act quickly. What is her parent's number."

"I already tried them," Tucker said. "They told me that she had called them a couple of hours earlier to let them know that she was going on a trip and probably wouldn't be back for a few weeks. They seem to think that she is doing something _high class_, so they have no problem with it. They even told her to spend as much as she wanted."

"Yeah," Jazz sniffed, "they're probably hoping that she's going to Paris or something to buy pretty dresses. Did they say when she was leaving?"

"Apparently she called them from the plane. She wasted absolutely no time."

"Dammit!" Jazz put her free hand on her forehead and collapsed into the nearest chair. She had been worried about Sam for quite some time now, but she had no idea that things would go this far. The thought occurred to Jazz that she might call her own parents and explain the situation, but that would just waste more time and it would raise questions that she wasn't quite ready to answer.

"I guess we have no choice," Jazz said, rising to her feet again. "We're going to have to go after her. We have to stop her before she gets to that portal!"

"With who's money?" Tucker exclaimed. "Do you know how expensive plane tickets to Jaipur are? Especially at the last minute!"

"We'll use my money," replied Jazz. "I had been saving up to buy myself a new car, but this is more important. Tucker, I'm going to hang up now and send you a text message with my credit card information. I want you to book two tickets for the next available flight and meet me at the airport as soon as possible. And don't forget your passport!"

Jazz ended the call before Tucker had the chance to respond. She sent the information, snapped her phone shut, and immediately started tearing through her apartment like a tornado, unceremoniously stuffing clothing into a small carrying case. It was a rare moment when Jasmine Fenton paid little attention to detail, but she didn't have the time to worry about the state of her room or the appropriateness of her attire. All that mattered was getting to the airport.

Jazz secured the final latch on her luggage, grabbed her purse, and barreled out of the apartment. She didn't even bother to shut the door on her way out.


	8. Dead City

Chapter 7: Dead City

It was always nighttime in that place. The darkness lay thick and heavy over the seemingly endless labyrinth of decaying buildings and crumbling streets. The only light flickered from sparsely distributed street lamps – a cold, grey light that accentuated the darkness but did not banish it. A damp, stale stench permeated the air, and the city was enveloped in an eternal, icy chill.

Large troughs occupied each street corner, and hopeless souls lumbered aimlessly from one bin to the next, feeding on the strange white powder that they found inside. Despite these inhabitants, the place felt vacant and dead. There were thousands of them throughout the city, sometimes feeding, sometimes sprawled out in the streets, their empty eyes staring mournfully into the swirling black vortex of the sky.

The Phantom perched on a rooftop, his electric-green eyes glowing in the dim as he gazed down at the sea of the lost. He had given up trying to talk to any of those people long ago. Few of them were able to respond in any coherent way, and those that could hold any sort of conversation were too frightened to speak for long. They were husks, devoid of any life they might have once had, trying to fill their emptiness with whatever it was the Enemy left for them in those troughs.

Phantom knew that he was not so different, that he too was lacking in something. However, unlike the thousands who swarmed the streets below, he had a purpose. He existed for the fight. He was meant to battle that which victimized others. Perhaps he would never win, and for the moment it seemed to be a war that he was losing. His adversary still flourished, and the victims still suffered. Nevertheless, it was a war he had been fighting for as long as he could remember, and he would fight until he won or perished. Maybe those two were one in the same. If he won, his sole reason for existence would cease to be, would it not? Would that mean that he would simply cease to exist? He wasn't sure, but it hardly mattered. Either way, he would fight to win.

Far below, the horde began to stir. Many started to flee toward the false refuge of the abandoned buildings, while others simply collapsed in the street and awaited their punishment. A low wail resonated across the city like the cry of a hungry train, and the Phantom knew it was time. He flicked his wrists out to either side, and green energy illuminated in each hand.

The voracious howl was close now. The Enemy appeared at the far end of the street, flying low so as to suck soft wisps of white energy from those it passed over. Phantom rose to his feet and dove off the side of the building, green light flaring from his eyes as he swooped toward his target.

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A/N: I figured that it was time to get a glimpse of our hero. I mean, he _is _the hero, after all.


	9. Naveen

Chapter 8: Naveen

"Ugh, why couldn't it have been someplace easy like New York or The Nasty Burger?" Sam grumbled as she slumped back against the lone, mushroom-shaped tree of the campsite. She stared out across the miles of desert that stood between her and civilization, paying little attention to the man who was settling down next to her. It was the morning of the sixth day since Sam had hired a guide and started her journey into the Thar Desert, and she was beginning to feel discouraged. Tucker's PDA had only given her a general location, and while there was only an eight mile radius in which the portal was supposed to be located, she still hadn't had any luck in finding it. It didn't help that she wasn't entirely sure what she was looking for. If it were something obvious, it probably wouldn't be such a secret. Nevertheless, she would have liked to have found it by now. Six days of sweltering heat was more than enough, and Sam did not take well to intense sunlight.

"You know, it might help if you told me what we were looking for," the man said in a subtle Indian accent, glancing sideways at Sam with his dark eyes. He hoisted his pack off of his back, dropped it into the sand in front of him, and pulled a large canteen out of the side pocket.

"What do you mean, Naveen?" Sam asked innocently. She was well aware of the fact that it would be impossible to convince her companion that nothing strange was going on, but at least she could try.

"I know you didn't pay me as much as you did to ask questions," Naveen said, taking a swig from the canteen, "but we have been walking around in circles for days, and it might help if I knew what we were looking for."

"It's kinda hard to explain" Sam said.

"I'll bet," replied Naveen. "You don't look like the kind of girl who goes out into the daylight by choice, much less the kind who wants to explore areas of the desert that are off the typical tour route. And what _is _it with that backpack of yours?"

Naveen's dark hand reached out toward the bag at Sam's feet only to be met with a violent slap. He whipped his hand back, chuckling as he shook it to ease the sting.

"What _are _you carrying that you won't let me touch your bag?"

"Weapons that I've been smuggling out of my friend's basement for the past three years," Sam retorted, attempting to sound smart-alecky.

Naveen roared with laughter as Sam seized her bag and hugged it to her chest. "Of all the things you've told me on this trip, I think that's the first one I've actually believed."

"Well then maybe you shouldn't ask questions," Sam hissed. "Maybe I'm a weapons dealer who shouldn't be messed with. Maybe _that's _what this is all about."

Naveen leaned back against the trunk of the tree, clasping his hands behind his head. "I've met a lot of people guiding these little treks, Miss Manson, and I've come to understand them pretty well. I can read that mysterious face of yours, and I think I know what this is about."

"I seriously doubt that," Sam bristled. He couldn't possibly comprehend, and she had paid him well enough that he shouldn't be trying to.

"Oh, I might not know or understand all the details, and I sure don't have a clue what you're looking for," Naveen continued, "but I know what it's _about_."

"Please, do enlighten me."

"It's about a boy," Naveen replied, his handsome, weathered face flashing a wild grin.

"What?" Sam sputtered, her eyes widening with surprise. She hadn't expected him to say _that_. Naveen snickered and started picking himself up off the ground. Sam stared up at him, her mouth gaping open like the jaw of a dead fish.

"Well, come on," he said, reaching down to help the stunned girl to her feet. "Let's get a move on. Daylight's burning, and I'd hate to be the one who got in the way of two lovebirds."

Naveen slung his bag over one shoulder and started making his way back to where the camels had been tied up for the night. Sam scrambled after him, and as she ran to catch up with her escort she screamed, "We're NOT lovebirds!"


	10. The Image

Chapter 9: The Image

A burst of energy struck Phantom in the chest, slamming him backward into the side of a nearby building. He hit the slippery grey stone with a loud crunch, his body going slightly limp with the impact. The metallic taste of blood rolled onto his tongue as he slid heavily to the ground, and his vision doubled. He struggled to pull himself to his feet, but his battered limbs betrayed him and he crumpled back down onto the cold pavement.

The creature known as Hollow plunged after the Phantom, his rapacious eyes fixated on his uncooperative prey.

"You cause me too much trouble, Phantom," Hollow hissed, lashing out with a long arm and wrapping an iridescent hand around the young man's throat. "Why can't you just cower like the others? Why do you always insist on getting between me and my meal? It's bad enough that you try to defend yourself, but to defend the _others_ – that is more than I am willing to tolerate! Now be a good boy, and submit."

"No," Phantom choked, blood sputtering out with his words. "I will not lie down for you. You'll have to fight me!"

Phantom gritted his teeth and tried to phase, but his strength was waning and his powers faltered. He could feel his energy siphoning away as Hollow slowly devoured him with his eyes. Fatigue weighed down on him, tugging at his limbs and urging him to sleep. It was only a matter of time before he lost consciousness. He would wake up in the street as he had many times before, knowing that he had been drained – that the the sanctity of his being had been violated.

In a final, desperate attempt to break free, Phantom reached around the arm that held him and planted a fist firmly into the left eye socket of his opponent. He mustered every last ounce of strength he had and discharged a green bolt directly into that stolid face. Hollow reared back in pain, releasing Phantom and letting out a shriek that sounded like the squeal of a tea kettle.

Phantom fell back blinded, for as he sent energy coursing through Hollow, a single image found its way into him, overwhelming every sense of perception he had. It was similar to the images that he had seen in his dreams, but this time it was clearer, more vivid. He could see the face of a girl with ebony hair, her violet eyes looking at him with what seemed to be concern. Her hair fell forward in a way that made it appear as though he were looking up at her while lying on his back, although he couldn't be sure.

_Who is she?_

Phantom didn't have long to contemplate what he had just experienced. Hollow descended upon him with a newly found fury. Whatever Phantom had done, it had made his enemy extremely upset.

"You do NOT take memories back from me!" Hollow roared, his pallid fist plummeting into Phantom's stomach. "I will make you pay for that!"

"M-memories?" Phantom coughed. He was rapidly falling toward unconsciousness after expending so much of his power, but he did not want to let go of the image in his mind. It was too lucid, too perfect to let go of. An image free of the haze of his dreams was worth holding on to.

"You are going to wake up feeling worse than ever, Phantom," Hollow said venomously as he leaned his empty face forward. "I am going to make this very painful."

_Maybe so,_ Phantom thought just before he tumbled into the nightmare that surely awaited him. _But I am keeping that image!_


	11. Desert Rift

Chapter 10: Desert Rift

At first she thought it was just another distortion caused by the heat. Vertical waves rippled in the air just ahead of Sam and Naveen, and from a distance it appeared to be nothing unusual. But as the two travelers approached, it became apparent that there was something very strange about these subtle ripples. They danced in a methodic spiral, reflecting barely visible flecks of what looked like obsidian dust.

Naveen brought his camel to a halt and squinted, raising a hand to shield his eyes from the sun. "Ok, I have never seen a mirage like _that_ before."

"I don't think it's a mirage, Naveen," Sam said, lowering herself off of her camel. She patted the creature on the neck, then proceeded to walk over to her companion.

"Here," she said, pulling a wad of cash from her back pocket and handing it to him. Naveen eyed the money with a frown, but did not take it.

"What's this?"

"Your final payment," Sam answered. "I think that this is the spot I've been looking for, and I probably won't need any money where I'm going."

Naveen snatched Sam's wrist, moving with the speed of a viper. He leaned down, giving her a stern look. "What is that supposed to mean? You're not planning on hurting yourself, are you?"

"I'm not here to commit suicide, no," Sam insisted. "Please, just take the money and go!"

"No, not until I make sure you're not going to do something stupid!" Naveen said, tightening his grip.

"But I _am _going to be doing something stupid!" Sam screamed. "It's probably the stupidest thing that I'll ever do in my life, but I have to do it so LET GO!" She grabbed her captive arm with her other hand and pulled, the heels of her boots digging into the sand. Naveen responded by seizing both of her hands and jerking her forward.

"What are you planning to do, Miss Manson?" he demanded. "I'm not letting go until you tell me!"

"I'm just going into that thing!" Sam said, still squirming. "I don't know what it is and I don't know where it's going to take me, but I have to go in there!"

Naveen looked at the distortion with a quirked eyebrow, looked back to Sam, and sighed. "Keep your money, Miss Manson," he said finally, releasing her hands. "You've already paid me more than I usually make in a month, and you might need some money when you get back."

Sam looked up at her guide with a slight smile. Despite Naveen's annoying habit of poking his nose into her business, he had been a good companion and Sam was going to miss the man. He had always stayed cheerful, had always taken her sarcasm with a grain of salt. He even took time every hour to make sure her fair skin wasn't suffering too much from the sun, nagging her to apply sun screen like a protective parent. She had been rather frigid with him because she wanted to protect her agenda, but the truth was she really did enjoy his company, and she couldn't have gotten this far without him.

"Thanks, Naveen," she said, her gaze falling to the ground. "For everything."

"Good luck, kid," Naveen said. "I hope he's worth it."

"He's worth it," Sam assured him. "This is one of the biggest risks I've ever taken, and it may end up being all for nothing, but he is definitely worth it."

Sam turned, leaving the man and the camels behind. As she approached the bizarre maelstrom, she felt a strange pull, like something was tugging at a rope that came out of her chest. She didn't fight it. She allowed herself to gravitate toward those swirling waves. She had no idea what she would find once she stepped through, but she would soon find out.

She took one last breath of the dry, desert air, then stepped inside the rift. Blazing heat was replaced by bitter cold. Bright sunlight was consumed by a velvet blackness.

And she was falling.


	12. Interlude

Interlude

_Sam... I think her name was Sam..._


	13. Black Water

Chapter 11: Black Water

"WHAT?" Keeper shrieked, lunging forward and gripping Hollow by the shoulders. "What did you lose?"

"Just the memory of one moment, of one face," Hollow said, removing his compatriot with an angry shove. "No information that could tell him who he was, just one image. It was nothing consequential!"

Hollow floated across the dark meeting chamber, making his way toward the waist-high stone basin that occupied the very center. Keeper followed close behind, refusing to allow Hollow to ignore him. He didn't care that his partner was upset about what he had lost. He didn't care that Hollow didn't want to discuss the matter. There were times when Keeper knew that it was appropriate to leave Hollow to himself if only for the sake of diplomacy, but this was not one of those times. Keeper needed to make sure his great project wasn't in jeopardy. He and Hollow had been collecting souls for a very long time, and Keeper hated the idea of losing a single one. It was his obsession – his compulsion. He had to _own _thoselives. They had to belong to _him_. They were his to torment, his to play with, and his to observe. Hollow could have the stupid memories and feelings all to himself, so long as Keeper reserved the right of ownership. As far as he was concerned, his maze was an extraordinary piece of art, and he was not about to let one of the specimens destroy his masterpiece.

"The image of a face may be no big deal," Keeper exclaimed, as he and Hollow stopped next to the basin, "but the fact that you couldn't get that memory back is! He was _unconscious_, and you still couldn't get it back! What if he gets more out of you? What if he figures out who he is? What if –"

"LOOK!" Hollow bellowed in his steam-like voice, grabbing Keeper by the back of the head with one hand and jerking him forward. He thrust Keeper's skeletal face down into the basin, forcing Keeper to peer into the black, swirling water inside. Images of the dark city that was Keeper's Maze swished back and forth in the current, showing the lonely inhabitants making their usual rounds for sustenance. A wicked smile stretched across Keeper's face, his yellow eyes glinting as he became enthralled with his own creation. There was no better way to get Keeper to shut up than to show him the water in that basin.

"See?" Hollow continued. "Your maze is still operating the way it always does. You can rest assured that none of your trinkets will run away from you. I know how _unbearable_ the thought of losing one of your little toys is," Hollow added in what sounded like an attempt at a taunt, "but once I am rested I will get that image back from the Phantom and everything will continue as usual."

Hollow let go of Keeper's skull and started for the exit, leaving Keeper bent over the water. As he floated away, Hollow could hear Keeper's crazed titter echoing from inside the basin. "Hee, hee! Look at them all! So empty, so alone! Ohh, and look! The Phantom is just waking up. He looks awfully upset..."

_That maniac still has his head stuck in there,_ Hollow thought with disgust. It wouldn't surprise Hollow in the least if he came back the next day to find Keeper still standing there, his sharp nose hovering inches over the black water. It wouldn't be the first time Keeper had spent hours staring into that basin. Sometimes he did it for days. Hollow was sick of dealing with his partner. There were many times when Hollow fantasized about sucking the thoughts out of Keeper, but Keeper's project provided him with an easily accessible source of food. He could not set up doorways to the human world the way that Keeper could, and what was especially convenient was that sometimes Hollow didn't have to travel at all. Every once in awhile, an unknowing human would wander into one of Keeper's portals, and would get stuck in the maze. Hollow always loved finding one of those poor souls scampering frantically through the dark streets. It was fresh meat, with much less work – a pleasant surprise for any scavenger.

Hollow looked back at his associate one last time, shook his head, and swept out of the chamber. The sound of Keeper's shrill laughter followed him, but Hollow ignored it. He knew that he had to put up with Keeper's lunacy, but he certainly didn't have to like it.


	14. The Empty Apartment

Chapter 12: The Empty Apartment

"Jazz? Sweetie?" Maddie Fenton knocked gently on the halfway open door to her daughter's apartment. It had been several days since she had heard from Jazz, and her maternal sixth sense had started nagging at the back of her mind. She had called her daughter several times over the past couple of days and had left at least three voice mails, but so far she had gotten no response. Jack reminded his wife more than once that Jazz was young and had an active social life. He told her that she was being paranoid, that she should give Jazz some breathing room. Maddie acknowledged that she had been slightly overprotective of her only remaining child ever since the tragedy with Danny, and she knew should probably relax, but after a few days of waiting to hear from her daughter she just couldn't stand it anymore.

After getting no response from inside, Maddie pushed the door fully open and screamed. The apartment was in complete disarray. Clothes were hanging off of floor lamps, papers were scattered across the coffee table, the desk drawer hung open. It looked like the place had be burgled, and Maddie became absorbed in visions of her daughter being viscously attacked by intruders.

Maddie immediately whipped out her cell phone and dialed her husband. When Jack answered, she was almost too hysterical to speak.

"She's gone, Jack!" Maddie choked. "She's-gone-and-her-place-is-a-mess-and-I-don't-know-what's-happened-and-she-might-be-kidnapped-or-dead-and –"

"Woah, woah, slow down, Maddie," Jack said, trying to keep up with what she was saying. "_Who's _gone?"

"JAZZ!" Maddie sobbed. "Our sweet, beautiful little girl is gone! Her apartment door was left open and and everything is a mess inside."

"Maddie, Maddie," Jack said, trying to soothe her, "don't jump to conclusions, ok? She could have just been late for work or a meeting or something."

"Jazz doesn't leave messes!" Maddie screamed. "I know my daughter well enough to know that she does NOT throw her clothes around her apartment. Something is very wrong!"

Jack sighed. It was strange that he had become the voice of reason ever since Danny's death, but he knew that his wife needed him to be strong and he wasn't going to let her down. Not even if he felt weak inside. "Maddie, please just stay where you are and I'll be right there. If it'll make you feel better, we'll call the police and see if we can't straighten this whole thing out. I'm sure she'll be fine, just try to stay calm."

Maddie collapsed into her daughter's couch, gasping for air as panic set in. It felt as though there were a vice in her chest, clamping down on her heart and twisting tighter and tighter with every passing second. She just couldn't handle the prospect of losing Jazz. One child was too much. Two would be unbearable.

Jack's voice was still audible from her cell phone, but Maddie had stopped paying attention. She was engulfed by a cold, white fear that occupied every corner of her mind. The world around her seemed an eternity away, and she stared blankly into the nothingness that stood between her and the apartment she was in. She was alone, confined in a catatonic terror that she could not break free of.

She had already lost her son. Three years ago, Maddie Fenton discovered that nothing makes a mother feel older than outliving her child. If she had to suffer that loss a second time, it would surely kill her.


	15. Somewhere

Chapter 13: Somewhere

The first thing she was aware of was the feel of cold, damp pavement pressed up against her cheek.

Sam had lost consciousness somewhere during the fall, and quite frankly she was amazed that she was waking up at all. When she first stepped through the portal, she had not expected to find herself with nothing to stand on. She had not expected to find herself plummeting into darkness. And once she realized that she was in a free-fall, she had not expected to survive the experience.

It seemed that it was a day for the unexpected.

Sam slowly opened her eyes, allowing the corporeal world to slip back into her senses. She was lying on her stomach, sprawled out like a drunkard and looking sideways at what appeared to be a back-alley street. Her limbs ached, and she could feel the sting of several scrapes and bruises all over her body. There was a slight buzzing in her ears that accompanied a sharp throbbing in her forehead.

She placed her palms on the ground and pushed herself up into a sitting position with a grunt. Her head was spinning, but she was alive and relatively intact, and for the moment that was good enough. With a deep breath, Sam climbed to her feet – steadying herself on a nearby wall – and began scanning her surroundings.

The alleyway was dark and quiet, but it was a strange sort of darkness that didn't seem to be merely the result of the night. The shadows were thick and oppressive, and Sam got the distinct impression that they were somehow _tangible_.

It was as she took her first, stumbling steps forward that Sam noticed that her back pack had landed several feet away, opening with the impact and scattering Fenton brand weapons all over the alleyway. She actually had been telling Naveen the truth when she said she had been stealing weapons for the past three years. She had just failed to mention that they were designed for hunting ghosts.

Sam hobbled over to gather her supplies. She wasn't sure where she was, but she had brought those weapons for a reason, and she had every intention of keeping herself armed. This was no ordinary city, and she expected to find herself up against a ghost sooner or later.

Sam kneeled down to pick up the first item she came across: an awkward gun, unfortunately dubbed the "Ecto-Blaster." As she leaned over, she felt a chill prickle at the top of her spine.

"Well, what do you know?" A low steam-like voice said from behind her. "FRESH MEAT!"

Sam whirled around, snatching the gun and aiming it in the direction of the voice. What she found herself face-to-face with caused the young woman to let out a small yelp. There, hovering just a few feet away, was the very ghost that had taken Danny three years ago. Sam came to this place with the knowledge that she was likely to encounter this creature, but she had not thought it would be so soon. For some reason she had assumed she would have time before she was forced to confront it.

The ghost lunged forward, and Sam instinctively applied pressure to the trigger of her weapon. A green blast shot out from the gun's nose and hit its mark, smacking the ghost right in its chest. The ghost was thrust backward with the blast, but Sam was unable to tell whether or not she had done any meaningful damage to the thing. Either way, it didn't stop its pursuit. The ghost looped back around and started again for Sam.

Sam fired another shot, then another, falling back into the alley as she frantically pulled the trigger. The shots were not ineffectual – and in fact each hit caused the creature to jolt back – but they were not enough to stop the ghost's advance. It wasn't long before Sam found herself with her back against a wall.

"What are you playing at, little girl?" The ghost hissed, images rippling across its expressionless face. "I don't like it when my meals fight back. And why do you look so familiar? Have I tasted you before?"

Sam was entirely uninterested in holding a conversation with this menace. She fired at it again, this time striking the ghost right in the face. The creature let out a yowl and retaliated with its own energy blast. The white light that shot from its hands struck Sam square in the nose. The light stung her eyes, causing her world to spin and making it impossible for her to see. Sam fumbled blindly with the Ecto-Blaster, desperately trying to figure out where her opponent was. She could hear the low hum of its voice approaching, but she was unable to distinguish exactly where it was coming from.

"It will be easier if you just hold still," the ghost's voice echoed. "Struggling will only make this hurt more."

Then, another voice rang out from somewhere above. "She's MINE, Hollow! You stay away from her!"

Something that felt very much like a shoulder slammed into Sam's side, sweeping her away from where she had been standing. Her feet left the ground as an arm wrapped firmly around her waist, and she knew from the surge in her stomach that she was being carried through the air at an extreme velocity. The corners of her vision slowly began to bleed back into focus, and she thought she could hear the enraged howl of the ghost that attacked her falling behind. Sam blinked as her eyes finally cleared and looked up. Her heart leaped so exuberantly that she thought it would burst free of her chest cavity, for she found herself staring up into a pair of blazing green eyes. Locks of white hair whipped around an older version of a familiar face as she and her rescuer soared hundreds of feet above the ground.

"Hold on," Phantom uttered in her ear as he pressed her close and picked up speed. "I'll take you someplace safe... Sam..."


	16. A Fortunate Encounter

Chapter 14: A Fortunate Encounter

"It's been eight days since we left Amity, Jazz!" Tucker panted as he and Jazz crested a sand dune. "Let's face it, she just had too much of a head start." The midday sun scorched the landscape and pounded on Tucker's head and back. He could feel warm sand squishing uncomfortably between his toes with each step; the sound of his heart pumping and his chest wheezing echoed in his head as the yellow sands sucked up any ambient sound that might have distracted him from the noises made by his own fatigued body. There were those who would find the shimmering waves of the golden dunes magical, but Tucker was not one of those people. He would much prefer the soft glow of a computer screen.

"Are you suggesting we give up, Tuck?" Jazz asked, turning to look at him. She was just as tired and discouraged as he was, but she was determined not to admit it.

"No, I guess not, " sighed Tucker, wiping sand off of his glasses. "I've already lost one best friend, I don't need to lose another. But I wish we had hired someone to help like I had suggested. That might have made the trek easier."

"Oh, and what would we have told them , Tucker? That we were looking for a girl who was looking for a portal that _might_ lead to another dimension? Besides," Jazz added, "I spent almost all of my money on the plane tickets and the supplies. I don't have enough to pay for a guide."

"Well I'm kinda sick of wandering around aimlessly, Jazz! Do you even know where we are?"

"Umm... well," Jazz said, biting her lip as she pulled out her map and started fussing with it. "Not really. I mean, I _think_ we're around the right area. Don't you have some sort of GPS locator on your PDA?"

"Not on my backup PDA. My _good_ PDA was stolen, remember?"

"You two look lost," a voice called from the bottom of the dune, interrupting the conversation. Jazz and Tucker whirled around to find themselves peering down at a tall, dark-skinned man in his mid twenties. He had two camels with him, and he was dressed in a rugged pair of blue jeans and a white button-down shirt. His handsome, slightly stubbled face wore a charming grin. "Might I be of assistance."

"O-oh!" Jazz stammered, a slight blush rising in her already sunburned cheeks. "I'm sorry, we didn't see you there."

"No need to apologize," the man said. "Do you need some help?"

"You wouldn't happen to have seen a portal to another dimension around here, would you?" Tucker called out audaciously, too worn out to care whether or not the man thought he was crazy. Jazz smacked Tucker in the back of his head, knocking his glasses askew.

"Don't mind him," Jazz said. "He just thinks he's being clever."

The man looked up at them quizzically, cocking his head to the side as he considered the two unlikely travelers. "You wouldn't happen to be the friends of a pretty little creature of the night named Samantha Manson, would you?"

"You _know _her?" Tucker exclaimed.

"Miss Manson hired me to escort her out here," the man replied. "The name's Naveen. And you are?"

"I'm Jazz, and this is Tucker," Jazz said, jerking her head to indicate Tucker who was still readjusting his glasses. "So, if Sam hired you to escort her, then... where is she?"

"Well..." said Naveen, glancing sideways and scratching the back of his head, "that whole portal to another dimension thing doesn't actually sound that far fetched after what I saw..."

"Oh no," Jazz gasped, her shoulders drooping in defeat. "We're too late. We couldn't stop her."

"I knew we wouldn't be able to," Tucker sighed, shaking his head. "She had us outpaced..."

"What do we do now?" Jazz wailed. "We've lost Sam, all of our searching was in vain, and now I'm going to have to explain to Sam's parents that she is gone, probably forever!"

"Wait a minute!" Tucker protested. "_Now _who's giving up? We came all this way to look for Sam, and you're gonna let one stupid little portal stop you? We _have _to follow her!"

"Are you insane, Tucker?" Jazz screamed. "We can't go searching for her there. We have no idea where that thing leads!"

"That sure as hell didn't stop Miss Manson," Naveen pointed out, folding his arms across his chest and leaning back against one of his camels. "That girl had some backbone, going in there like that."

"You're damn right she did!" said Tucker. "And I'm not gonna be the friend who's a coward. Danny was always brave, and Sam was brave, and I'm gonna be brave, too. You don't have to come with me, Jazz, but I am going after Sam!"

"I can take you to the site, if you like," Naveen offered. "Don't worry about payment, I'll do it for free. Miss Manson already paid me more than enough. It's actually not that far, and now that I know where it is I don't think I'll ever be able to pass it without seeing it."

"Wait, you're willing to help us out?" Jazz asked incredulously. "Just like that?"

A smile crossed Naveen's face once again and he shrugged. "Yeah, just like that."

"Well, I guess that really means I have no excuse," Jazz said, her eyes hardening with resolve. "You won't need to go without me, Tucker. I'm coming, too."

"Good," said Tucker, who was already making his way down the golden slope of the dune, "then let's go before one of us wises up enough to change their mind."


	17. Memory Fragments

Chapter 15: Memory Fragments

They were safe, if only for a little while.

Somewhere far away the furious cry of a hungry ghost raged at the loss of its prey. It was the first time Phantom had ever run from a fight with Hollow, but he had never before had such precious cargo to guard.

Phantom swooped low, phasing through the wall of an empty building and landing. Small clouds of dust puffed upward in small, grey wisps as his feet settled on the dirty, concrete floor. The girl named Sam was curled up as tightly as a pill bug in his arms, her fingers digging into his shoulders so firmly that he was bound to bruise. He could feel the soft tremble of a sob surge through her body as he attempted to set her down, her fingers clutching even tighter to him.

"Danny," she said, her voice quailing. "Danny, you're alive!"

Phantom sighed. He wished he understood what was going on. Who was this girl? Why did he know her name? Why did she make him feel so... protective? Clearly, she was the same girl from the image that he got from Hollow, although she looked a little older and her hair was a bit longer. Still, her presence raised more questions than Phantom was currently able to process. Ever since his last encounter with Hollow, Phantom had found himself getting closer and closer to this girl's identity. First came her face, then her name, and now she was here in the flesh. Had he summoned her somehow? Had he willed her into reality? Or had _she_ somehow been contacting him in his dreams all this time? And what about the others in his dreams? Were _they _real, too?

"Who's _Danny_?" Phantom asked as he pried her hands off of him and lowered her to her feet. It was the only question among the million in his head that actually made it to his lips.

"What?" Sam said, a frown twitching at the corners of her mouth. "_You're _Danny, and if that's some sort of joke, it's not very funny. Aren't you happy to see me?"

"I'm _confused _to see you," Phantom said. "I know your name and I've seen images of your face in my mind, and yet I have never seen you in this city before, and until today I wasn't even sure if you really existed or not. How is it possible that I seem to know you when we have never met?"

"But... we _have _met!" Sam protested, her violet eyes glistening with tears. "We're best friends! You, me, and Tucker! Don't – don't you remember, Danny?"

"My name is Phantom," he replied, turning away from her and crossing his arms in frustration. "I don't know who _Danny_ is."

Sam's heart plunged into her stomach and the strength flooded from her limbs. Her legs gave way, and she crumpled onto the dusty floor like a rag doll. She didn't know how she was supposed to feel. After three years she had finally found the one person she wanted to see more than anything. He was alive. She was with him. That moment should have felt like a miracle. Instead, it felt like a tragedy.

"What's happened to you, Danny," Sam choked. Tears drew silver lines down her slightly battered cheeks, and she sat frozen, her eyes fixated on the dreary floor. Phantom glanced back over his shoulder and looked down at her. His expression softened as he saw the sorrow in her face. Something inside him shriveled at the sight of her broken and miserable on the floor, and he slowly turned and made his way over to her.

"Please," he said, kneeling down in front of Sam and tentatively putting a hand on her shoulder. "Please, don't cry. I don't like it. I didn't mean to make you upset. I don't want you to be upset."

"Well how did you _expect _me to feel?" Sam cried, knocking his hand away. "I go to the ends of the earth searching for you, and you don't even know who I am – or who _you _are!"

"But I _do _know who you are!" Phantom said, knowing that what he was saying was only half true. "You're Sam. You're the girl from my visions."

"A person is more than a name!" Sam shouted emphatically. "A person is more than a vision!"

"I'm sorry," Phantom said. "But a name and a vision are all I have."

"So that's it," Sam said. "That's what I am reduced to after all that we have been through."

"You seem to believe that we have some sort of history, but I don't see how that is possible. My existence is for the sole purpose of fighting the Enemy. My war with Hollow is all I have ever known, and the fact that you are _real_ just makes no sense! None of this makes any sense!"

Phantom buried his face in his hands. He didn't know how he was supposed to handle all of this. Nothing was clear anymore, and he was beginning to wonder if everything he knew was a lie. Had there been something else before his life in this place? Was there really something... more? His mind became a dizzy whirlwind of possibility, swarming with gleaming fragments of memories that he couldn't quite access. Whoever Sam was, she was rousing things inside of him that he hadn't known were there; thoughts and feelings that flitted around his brain like mirrored butterflies, reflecting images that were just beyond his grasp. He longed to capture them all.

"I want... to understand," he whispered, raising his head to look at Sam. "I want to know what these visions mean!"

"Danny," Sam said, reaching a quaking hand out and lightly touching his cheek. "I don't know what's happened to you, but I'll help you, Danny. I'll help you remember, if I can."

"And I will protect you, Sam," Phantom breathed, catching her wrist and staring straight into the violet pools of her eyes. "From this moment on, you are my confidant. I will keep you safe, and you will help me understand."


	18. Pressure

Chapter 16: Pressure

"KEEPER!" Hollow's voice boomed as the hungry ghost stormed into the dark chamber. "I want you to look into that stupid pool of yours and find out _exactly _where the Phantom is! Do it NOW!"

Keeper lifted his head out of the basin, his reptilian eyes widening with the slightest hint of surprise. He had not expected his partner to return to their meeting ground for several hours, and Hollow's explosive entrance had both startled and irritated him.

"I _am _looking into my pool," Keeper answered, glowering at his partner from across the room. "Or at least I _was _until you came crashing in here. What is your problem?"

"The PHANTOM!" Hollow bellowed. "WHERE IS HE?"

"I don't know," Keeper said with disdain. "I can't keep track of all of my little mice at once. I was watching some girl walking around in circles in an empty building after forgetting how to open a door, and I was quite enjoying it until _you _showed up. You can't expect me to _always _watch your stupid little boxing matches with the Phantom."

Hollow charged over to the basin and snatched Keeper by the throat, shoving him backward several feet. He leaned in close to Keeper, the images in his flesh swirling wildly. He was in no mood for Keeper's taunts. "He stole my meal! He took a fresh, full girl, brimming over with memories and emotions and took her away from me, and I want to know where he is. You _will_ find him!"

Keeper's face contorted into a terrible scowl. He gave his skeletal hands a slight flick, and long, serrated talons extended from the tips of his fingers. His hands then jerked up with impossible speed, the sharp tips of his deadly fingers stopping within an inch of Hollow's vacant face.

"Watch it, Hollow," Keeper snarled. "You're not the only one here who's dangerous. Now let me go before I stab you in those ugly pits in your head."

Hollow's fingers twitched around Keeper's throat with the desire to squeeze, but he did not. Instead, he released Keeper from his grip with a reluctant push. Keeper retracted his talons and rubbed the sore area on his long, emaciated neck. There was a dark indent in the grey flesh where Hollow's hand had pressed down hard, and Keeper was radiating with outrage.

"DON'T do that again," Keeper warned. "You'll regret it if you do."

Hollow turned his back on Keeper, clenching his pallid fists into tight balls. The idea that his meal had escaped him was infuriating, and he was not going to stand for it. Nevertheless, he knew that he had crossed the line. Keeper and Hollow were never friends. They didn't pretend to be. But they were allies, and Hollow should not have physically attacked his partner.

"I need you to find out where he took her," Hollow said after a long moment of bitter silence. His voice still resonated with rage, although it was now much more subdued. "You know we shouldn't have people running around knowing who they are for too long. That could be dangerous."

"I am not terribly concerned about one stray girl," Keeper said, swaggering back over to his beloved basin. "You can always catch her later. What concerns _me_ is whether or not the Phantom knows who he is. _He's_ the one who could potentially cause us trouble." Keeper shot Hollow a severe look. "I trust that you have taken care of that little image situation?"

"If you want me to take care of that situation, you are going to have to find me the Phantom," Hollow answered. "I was not counting on him fleeing. He doesn't usually do that."

"Fine!" Keeper snapped. "I will search for you, but I expect you to handle the job with more care this time!"

"I told you before, it's just one image," Hollow hissed like a pressure cooker, resisting the urge to throttle Keeper again. He was just barely able to contain himself. "I will get it back. Just find out where he took that girl."

"Honestly, you glutton, someone new wanders into my maze and you can't think on _anything _else until you've sucked them dry."

Keeper delicately dipped his long index finger into the basin. As soon as his finger penetrated the surface of pool, the black waves began to surge and heave, lapping up against the sides of the basin as images pulsed through the angry water. Keeper leaned down, a manic grin appearing on his face. He peered down into the pool as the image he was looking for gradually started bobbing toward the surface.

"Come out, come out, little Phantom," Keeper leered, his yellow eyes glittering with self-satisfaction. But as the image cleared, his grin slowly crumbled into a frown. There, shimmering in the black water, was the Phantom. And, as expected, there was the girl, sitting with him on the floor of a building at the fringe of the city.

But something was wrong. Very wrong. The Phantom was... _smiling_! He was leaning forward, listening intently to whatever story the girl was telling him, and it was clear that he was _enjoying_ her company.

Keeper's body tightened as he watched the Phantom reach out and take hold of the girl's hand, his green eyes illuminating with what Keeper feared to be a hint of recollection. This was more than just some random girl who the Phantom decided to save. This was much more dangerous than that. This had the stench of friendship – no, _worse_ than friendship – all over it. Keeper was livid. His maze did not make accommodations for _love_. Something had to be done about this, before it got out of hand.

"Hollow!" Keeper shouted, his head snapping up. "There's been a change of plans! I've found out where they're hiding, but they might not stay there for long, so go _now_. I don't want you to merely suck her dry. When you find them, take her, devour _everything _that's inside of her, and then KILL HER!"


	19. Rough Landing

Chapter 17: Rough Landing

Jazz and Tucker waved their farewells to Naveen and stepped into the portal.

They immediately regretted it.

The two companions tumbled through a frigid abyss for what felt like hours, reeling end over end and periodically losing consciousness from the overwhelming nausea. It was an experience that would make an astronaut queazy, and neither one of them had been prepared for it. Tucker could taste the bitter flavor of bile sloshing across his tongue, and he was pretty sure that he heard Jazz vomit once or twice during the fall.

Tucker and Jazz did not see the ground approaching. They did not register the sensation of slamming into cold pavement. They did not hear the heavy thuds of their bodies crashing into the street. The realization that they had landed came only as a violent jolt as their forward momentum was brought to an abrupt halt. It wasn't until a few minutes later that either one of them became aware of the pain surging through their limbs.

Tucker let out a loud groan as he forced himself to sit up, ignoring the dizzy whirl in his brain. He found himself looking around a dark alley – empty, silent, and strange. He had been fortunate enough to land on his back, which spared him the trouble of shattered glasses – glasses that had miraculously stayed on during the fall. Jazz had not been so lucky. She was flat on her face, and as Tucker crawled over to her he noticed a pool of blood expanding like a crimson halo around her head.

"Jazz! Jazz are you ok?" Tucker said frantically as he jostled the young woman awake. The rise and fall of her rib cage told him that she was not dead, but he couldn't tell how badly she was hurt with her face hidden in the pavement.

"Ugh, I dink I broge by dose," Jazz moaned, rolling onto her back and flopping onto the pavement like a dead fish. Her face was a sticky mess of blood and dirt, and indeed her nose was pointing at an unnatural angle, but she didn't seem to be in any mortal danger.

"Come on, Jazz," Tucker said, wrapping an arm around her torso and hoisting her up into a sitting position, "let's get you cleaned up. Now lean your head back..." Tucker tore a small piece of cloth off of Jazz's shirt and pressed it to her nose, setting the cartilage back into place with a loud snap and causing his involuntary patient to release a muffled shriek.

"Why did you use _by _shird?" Jazz protested as a the cloth invaded her face.

"Umm, 'cause every movie I've ever seen has the _chick's_ clothing get torn. Better ratings that way."

"Sgrew you, jerg!" Jazz burbled indignantly.

Tucker snickered. "I'm sorry, was that a bloody-nosed attempt at an insult?"

"Oh, shud ub, Tugger!" Jazz allowed the blood to drain for a moment, then peered over the blood-soaked rag to glare at Tucker; but before she had the chance to say anything else her eyes caught sight of something that made her forget all about the hot swelling of her nose. There, strewn all over the street of the alleyway, were the contents of Sam's backpack.

"Oh no," Jazz gasped, scrambling to her feet.

"Hey, your speech is back to normal. You can say your n's, that's good!" Tucker said, following suit and rising to his feet. "That must mean the bleeding has stop–"

Tucker was cut off as Jazz grabbed his face and forced him to look in the direction of the scattered possessions. His eyes widened in horror as he looked down at the weapons, rations, and first aid materials that littered the street. Among these objects were the shards of an obliterated PDA that he recognized as his own.

"This stuff was Sam's!" Tucker said, eyeing the Fenton logo on the various weapons. "She must have stolen those weapons from your basement."

"A lot of good it seems to have done her," Jazz sighed. She walked over to far wall, dolefully tracing the scorch marks that made a star burst pattern of ash on the grey stone. It was clear that something happened here, and Jazz shuddered to think of what. "Do you suppose she's–"

"Don't even say it!" Tucker interrupted, raising his palm to silence Jazz. He was not going to let those thoughts enter his brain. He could not afford to let doubt cast its ugly shadows, not if he wanted to find his friend.

"I guess... we just start looking, then," Jazz said, plucking a couple of her parent's weapons off of the street – silver cylinders that manifested long blades of energy, making them look like fugitives from a Star Wars convention. She slung one of the cylinders from her belt loop, then proffered the other to Tucker. "Here, we should take these. They might be useful later."

"Let's hope we won't need them," said Tucker, reaching out and taking the weapon from Jazz. He didn't want to have to fight ghosts here, but he realized that the chance of finding Sam and discovering a way to get home without any trouble was slim at best.

"Well, let's get going," Jazz said finally, beginning the march out of the alleyway.

Tucker opened his mouth to say something, but his words dissolved and oozed uselessly out of his mouth as he and Jazz rounded the bend and stepped out into the main street. They were met with a sight unlike any they had ever seen before.

The city streets bustled with the shambling bodies of thousands of ambling souls. Their eyes were vacant and unseeing; their tongues flapped loosely in their mouths, as if they had forgotten how to speak. The strange moaning of the shuffling inhabitants of this city brought to mind images from every zombie movie Jazz had ever seen. She half expected the horde to attack and try to devour her and Tucker, but the crowd didn't even seem to acknowledge their presence.

"Dear God!" Jazz gasped finally after a moment of petrified silence. "What happened to these people?"

"I don't know," answered Tucker, "but it might have something to do with that!"

He pointed straight up, and Jazz could feel all color fleeing her face as her gaze followed his finger. High above the city, the bulbous silhouette of a gourd-shaped ghost with long and slender limbs was just visible against the blackness of the sky. But the thing was not headed toward Jazz and Tucker. It was flying in a straight, deliberate line, making its way toward some unknown destination. Wherever it was going, it seemed to be in a big hurry.


	20. Assault

Chapter 18: Assault

Her mauve lips shimmered as they moved, weaving resplendent stories that had her listener hypnotized. Phantom leaned forward as Sam spoke, drinking in every detail, every utterance. She had been telling him about their previous escapades for an entire day, and he was becoming increasingly enthralled. At first, he found the whole thing very unsettling and he was not willing to accept the idea that he had forgotten so much of his own life. But the more he listened to that voice, the more he began to cling to every precious word. She was starting to feel so familiar. Each story that burst free from those lips kindled a strange pang of warmth in his chest, as if tiny firecrackers were leaping from her mouth right into him, leaving their glittering trails behind.

"... so in the end I guess I won that stupid beauty pageant, although I didn't really want to," Sam said, reclining against the cold stone wall of the abandoned building . "But what was important was that we were able to make a difference for the ghosts stuck in that medieval part of the Ghost Zone."

"And you really flew to my aid on a _dragon_?"

"Sure did!" replied Sam with a self-satisfied smile. "But it's not like you haven't saved _my_ butt countless times... including today. That's what friends do, Danny. They help each other."

Phantom felt something very strange stirring in the pit of his stomach. He couldn't really remember what it was like to have a friend, so he wasn't sure whether the nervous flurry building up inside of him was a part of what friendship was. Somehow he thought that there was more to this sensation than that, although he didn't know exactly what. Sam was amazing, that much he knew. She was as brave and strong-willed as he could imagine a person being, and every time she flashed a smile or looked at him with those purple eyes it excited a storm that blew confusedly around his brain. What _was _this feeling? It was like an echo of an emotion that he had felt long ago; a yearning that his heart remembered even though his head did not.

"So, do you want to hear another story?" Sam said, breaking the awkward moment of silence that had swept over them. She had not failed to notice that Phantom was staring at her, and it made her incredibly self-conscious.

"Actually," said Phantom with a hint of reluctance, "we should probably move to another location. I just realized that we have been sitting in one spot for far too long, and that just isn't safe in this place."

Phantom rose to his feet and held out a hand to help Sam up. She sighed as she took his hand and levered herself to her feet. The thought suddenly occurred to her that she was now just as trapped as her friend was. How long was she going to bein this place, anyway? Would she eventually forget everything she had ever known the way that Phantom had? Would the two of them ever find their way home?

"Come on," said Phantom, gathering Sam up into his arms and lifting off the ground. "We should get go–"

_CRASH!_

The loud rumble of a shattering wall cut into Phantom's sentence, and it was clear that they had delayed too long. Hollow roared as he tore his way into the abandoned building, his voice resonating so violently that caused a tremor to surge through the foundation. Phantom instinctively became intangible as the building crumbled around them, raining down concrete, metal support beams, and stone. Before he was able to fully recover from the unanticipated assault, Phantom was hit by a bolt of energy that sent him careening out of the air. He and Sam crashed onto the debris below them, losing their grip on each other and tumbling in opposite directions.

Hollow loomed above Phantom, his hand flaring with energy and raised menacingly above his head.

"I'm afraid you and your little girlfriend don't have much of a future together, Phantom," Hollow hissed, blasting Phantom square in the chest and splaying him out on his back. Phantom convulsed in pain as energy coursed through his body like an electric shock, then lay still as his world shifted and split in two.

"Leave him alone!" Sam screamed, snatching the Ecto-Blaster that she still carried from her belt loop and firing a shot at the back of the ghost's head. Hollow swerved to avoid the blast and laughed in his deep, steam-like voice. He spun around to face her, his ravenous eyes growing so wide that they looked like they would encompass his entire face.

"I'm not here for him, girl," Hollow said, flying toward her. "I'm here for you! I'm going to suck all those pretty memories out of you, and then I'm going to snap your neck."

Sam felt the pull of those ravenous eyes on her soul. In one horrifying moment, it became all too clear what had happened to Danny three years ago. Her thoughts, her feelings, her recollections all began to seep out of her, and she was unable to maintain her grip on her weapon. She tried to fight it, to hold onto the memories of who she was, but Hollow had the upper hand. Her strength was rapidly waning, and she knew that she couldn't hold on for very long. A shudder worked its way through her body, and the last thing she was aware of was the blurry sight of the Phantom picking himself up from the wreckage.

Sam's body crumpled on the ground like a broken marionette. Her lilac colored eyes grew dim as all cognizance gushed from her body. All of her fight, all of her passion, all of her drive flitted away with the white, shimmering energy of her thoughts, spiraling into the void of Hollow's eyes. The capacity for self preservation was completely gone, and Sam lay there defenseless as Hollow swooped down for the final kill.

"No! Sam!" Phantom screamed, terror clawing at the inside of his chest as he watched the only friend he currently knew fall. He thrust himself off of the ground and hurtled toward Hollow, pushing his flight to speeds he had previously not known he was capable of. His vision narrowed as he shot forward, and all his thoughts became oriented toward a single goal: he had to save Sam.

Phantom knew that he would not reach Sam in time to sweep her out of harm's way. Hollow was hovering between the two of them, blocking Phantom's path. Phantom could only think of one course of action that might save the girl from death, and he wasn't sure it was going to work. But whether or not it was survivable – let alone _possible – _ceased to matter. He didn't have time to think of anything else, so he had to try.

He was going to do something dangerous. He was going to do something desperate.

He was going to overshadow Hollow.


	21. Pursuit

Chapter 19: Pursuit

Tucker and Jazz bolted through the darkened city streets, weaving their way through the mindless throng that cluttered their path. They had been running at a full sprint for a good twenty minutes in a rather futile attempt to keep up with the ghost they had seen crossing the sky. It hadn't taken long for the ghost to outpace them – it was, after all, flying – but Tucker and Jazz were not willing to give up, and had continued to run in the direction that the ghost was headed. Eventually the thing was bound to stop, and maybe they would be able to find some answers then.

"This is probably a bad idea," Jazz panted as she pushed the muscles in her legs to work harder. It was moments like these that made Jazz grateful that she had always been the athletic type.

Tucker, on the other hand, was _not_ the athletic type. He puffed and wheezed behind the redheaded young woman, his lungs stinging and his legs aching. It was through sheer force of determination that Tucker was able to keep up with Jazz, and he still found himself wishing that he had spent more time in the gym and less time on his computer. One thing was for sure, helping Danny fight ghosts had been a good way to stay in shape, and the past three years had seen a noticeable decline in his physical activity.

"Yeah, this is _definitely _a bad idea," Tucked huffed as he knocked past another drone. He had stopped worrying about plowing these people aside some time ago. After all, they didn't seem to care. "But it's the only lead we have right now. I can't think of anywhere else to start. Can you?"

"No, I guess not," replied Jazz. "But I do kind of feel like we've just sent ourselves on a suicide mission."

"I sure do love your optimism, Jazz," Tucker said dryly.

He and Jazz proceeded to hurtle an old woman who was sprawled out in the street, and Tucker couldn't help but notice the glossy-eyed stare that occupied the woman's face. It disturbed him that she didn't so much as blink as they passed over her. He didn't like being in a city occupied by these living mannequins, and he found himself wishing for some indication that the ghost was nearby. At least then he would feel like they were making progress.

It wasn't long before Tucker got his wish.

The sign of the ghost's close proximity came in the form of a loud boom that shook the streets. The sound vibrated through every hard surface, including Tucker's teeth. Jazz snapped to a halt and whipped her head from side to side in search of the noise. As a result, Tucker slammed into her, unable to stop his forward momentum in time to avoid the collision.

"Look over there," Jazz pointed to an intersection to their left, completely unfazed by the fact that Tucker had just slammed into her. Tucker turned to face the direction Jazz was indicating, and his eyes widened as he saw the explosion of grey dust that came with a collapsing building several blocks down. The sound of a terrible howl echoed down the street, and green light flared outward from the site of the destruction.

"Come on, that must be it!" Jazz said, grabbing Tucker by the wrist and yanking him forward as she began to run again.

The two of them launched themselves across the street, still hand-in-hand as they charged toward the chaos. Tucker's fatigue was completely forgotten as a burst of adrenaline surged through his veins, causing his perception to sharpen. Sound and sensation separated into distinct blips on his radar, each perfectly visible – perfectly clear. He could hear the blood pounding in his ears, while simultaneously being able to hear the crashing from up ahead. But there was another sound, one that held his interest far more than the rest. Perhaps he was mistaken. Perhaps he was imagining things. But Tucker could swear that he heard a voice cry out, and as far as he could tell it was calling Sam's name.

If he didn't know any better, he'd say that voice belonged to... but that was impossible, wasn't it?

As Tucker and Jazz finally approached the scene, they were met with as horrifying a sight as they could have imagined. Just across the street they could see the menacing figure of the ghost hovering over the broken and helpless body of their friend. But just as the two of them activated the blades of their weapons and started forward, Tucker's eye caught sight of something that Jazz missed. It registered in his peripheral vision as a streak of black and neon green with slivers of silver running through it. The streak zipped through the air and struck the ghost in the back, disappearing into it like a bullet. The creature convulsed backward and began to shiver as though it were having a seizure. Tucker and Jazz both stopped dead in their tracks and gaped as the ghost clawed at its own flesh. It looked like it was trying to extract foreign objects out from under its skin. Whatever was going on, something had it distracted.

"What - what just happened?" Jazz gawked. The creature continued to jolt and shiver, moving like a puppet being jerked around on a string, and Jazz was too baffled to do anything but stand there and stare.

Tucker shook his head in disbelief as a feeling swelled in the pit of his stomach. He wasn't sure why, but he was positive that he knew what that streak had been. It felt like more than just a hunch. It felt like the certainty that comes when you feel the presence of a close friend.

"My God," Tucker uttered, his voice inaudible over the din. "I think it's Danny..."


	22. The Golden Network

Chapter 20: The Golden Network

Perspective. There was infinite perspective here. The memories of thousands teemed through Phantom's brain as he fused with Hollow's body. He was vaguely aware of the creature roiling in pain as he plugged himself into his unwilling host, but it all seemed very far away compared to the endless chain of perceptions that flowed through him like a string of iridescent pearls. It was a vast, golden network of feeling and thought that reached beyond anything that Phantom had ever before imagined. The experiences of all walks of life were now his for the taking, and he became a conduit for the great eternity of _possibility_. He was a father. He was a sister. He was a wife and a frightened child. He was an old woman, huddled in the cold.

He was Hollow, always hungry and never satiated.

In this place, he understood it all. Every brilliant facet and every dark undertone traveled along the wires of this network in glowing, swirling orbs of consciousness, and he was more than willing to lose himself here. Phantom began to sink in, allowing himself to become absorbed in the pulsating current of infinity. He knew that Hollow didn't want him there and was trying to pry him back out, but he was already connected to the interlacing system of sentience and was prepared to settle in for good. Eventually they would both get used to it. There was no need to fight anymore, no need to worry about the concerns of the body. Here, there was only thought, and all of those thoughts could be _his_.

_Danny? _ It was a voice he knew. It was one of the voices that floated in the network.

_S-Sam?_

_Danny, please don't get lost here. Your memories are here, and so are mine! I don't want to stay in here forever, please! _Her voice nudged him back to the surface, reminding him that there were important things outside of the network. These memories and feelings, they didn't belong to him. He had no right to keep them. They belonged to others.

_Wh-where are you, Sam?_

_I'm trapped in here, just like you – just like everyone!_

One of the orbs found its way into him, swirling with images and radiating with a familiar warmth. It nestled in his chest, urging him to take it back to the body it belonged in.

_Come on, Danny. You're in here too. Find yourself and let's get out of here!_

He could feel her tugging at his brain, gently guiding his attention toward another trapped soul – his own. As his mind approached that iridescent globe of consciousness and memory, his thoughts began snapping back into place. His parents. His friends. His sister and the people at school. They all were pieces of a puzzle that painted the larger picture of who he was. He was not just the Phantom. He was also Danny Fenton. He had a life. He had a home. And he did not belong in this place.

Danny used every last ounce of willpower that he had to hold himself together, while still keeping the consciousness of Sam safe in his chest. He knew that Hollow was distracted, that his mere presence had kept the ghost occupied enough to prevent Sam's death. But now it was time to break free. He gathered his powers in a tight ball inside of himself, collecting every bit of strength that he could muster. The pressure built, until finally he couldn't hold it anymore, and green energy exploded out of him like a spectral fireball. Around him, he could hear the agonizing wail of Hollow as green fire burned the creature from the inside.

Hollow's flesh started to manifest a web of cracks that emanated a glowing green light. A tremor shook through the howling ghost as the eruption of Danny's power began tearing him apart. For the first time in Hollow's long existence, he experienced true terror of the kind that he himself inflicted. He was breaking apart at the seams, and if he stayed he would perish.

So he did not stay. Hollow released a final, desperate howl that sounded like the whistle of compressed steam, and thrust Danny out of his body with the last of his strength.

Danny plummeted to the ground, his hands clutching at the light that huddled in his chest. He clambered to his feet, ignoring the weariness that pressed down on his body, but by the time he looked back toward the sky his opponent had disappeared.

Still holding his chest, Danny turned to face the limp body of his friend. He hobbled over to where she lay, pulling Sam's memories up to the surface as he knelt down next to her.

"I have something for you, Sam," he whispered, lifting her head gently off the ground. Danny leaned down, iridescent energy gathering on his lips like holographic diamonds. He then pressed his lips to hers, breathing the incandescent memories back into her. Sam's violet eyes fluttered, the dull haze clearing back into a glowing vibrance. Her eyes snapped wide with surprise as she registered the soft pressure on her mouth, but it wasn't long before she collapsed into that kiss, placing a hand delicately on Danny's neck.

"There," Danny said when he finally pulled away, "good as new."

Sam blinked as she stared up into a pair of ice-blue eyes. The face that gazed back at her was framed by charmingly messy locks of black hair, and she realized then that she was not looking at Phantom. For the first time in three years, Sam was looking at Danny.

"You remembered." Sam breathed. "You know who you are."

"Yeah," Danny nodded. "Thanks to you."

"And you... you got my memories back, too."

"Again, your doing, not mine," Danny said.

"But you saved my life... again!"

"Ok, _that _one I'll take credit for."

"So tell me something," Sam said, looking up at her friend with a smirk. "Why was it necessary to _kiss_ me to give me back my memories?" Sam raised her eyebrows, eagerly anticipating the addled, stammering response that would undoubtedly follow. She couldn't _wait _to hear him backpedal out of this one.

But Danny did not become flustered. He did not blush or stumble in an effort to explain away his actions. He was too overwhelmed with having recovered himself to be embarrassed, and the explanation really was quite simple.

"It wasn't," Danny said, flashing a wild grin. "I just _wanted _to."

Sam's cheeks flushed crimson as Danny bent down to kiss her again, but this time he was interrupted by an eardrum-shattering squeal from the across the street.

"OH MY GOD! DANNY!" Shouted a voice that was immediately recognizable as Jazz's.

"Oh, come on Jazz! You could've waited _two more seconds_ to let them kiss!" Tucker's voice followed. "Now you've killed their moment, and knowing these two we'll have to lock them in a closet to get that to happen again!"

"Jazz? Tucker?" Danny exclaimed, turning his head to look at them while still cradling a shocked Sam in his arms. His eyes widened in bewilderment, and he blushed as he rediscovered his capacity for self-consciousness He had not realized that he and Sam had an audience.

Jazz and Tucker were still standing on the other side of the road, brandishing Fenton trademark weapons. The two of them had been watching the scene unfold in a state of immobile astonishment, and had been so still that neither Danny nor Sam had noticed them at all. They were dirty, sweaty, and Jazz was covered in blood, but they were nonetheless beaming with stunned joy at seeing Danny alive.

Sam scrambled out from under Danny as Jazz and Tucker bolted across the street. They pounced on the boy just as he got to his feet, hugging him with such enthusiasm that he started to turn blue in the face. Their tears spilled all over his shoulders and cascaded down his arms. Danny stood there in frozen dismay, moving nothing but his hands as he slowly patted the two of them on the back. He was overjoyed to see them, but an awful lot had happened in the span of a few minutes and his brain was whirring busily as he tried to process it all.

"You're alive!" Jazz sobbed, ruffling Danny's hair affectionately with one hand as she gripped him tighter with the other arm. "I-I can't believe it!"

"It is _so_ good to see you, man! We thought you were dead!" Tucker chimed in, the lenses of his glasses magnifying his tears into gargantuan drops. He looked over at Sam and winked. "And I'm glad we found you two _together_."

Sam sent Tucker a glare that could intimidate a cougar – and he was pretty sure she was attempting to develop telekinetic powers so that she could make his head explode with her mind – but he just smiled back. She could feel free to pound on him later. Right now, he was just glad to see that _both_ of his best friends were among the ranks of the living.

"How did you guys get here?" Sam hastily changed the subject, brushing herself off in an attempt to seem nonchalant.

"The same way you did," Jazz said, pulling away from Danny and wiping her eyes. "We did the stupid thing and jumped into that desert portal. We saw that ghost flying across the sky and we decided to follow it, but he was way too fast to keep up with and when we got here things were already in motion. It was all so crazy that we just sort of stood there like a couple of slack-jawed morons."

"Umm," said Danny, "how long had you guys been standing there?"

"A few minutes. We got here just in time to see..." Jazz glanced at Sam and an amused smile quirked at the corner of her mouth. "... well, you know."

Sam buried her face in her hands. There was no doubt in her mind that Tucker and Jazz were going to dangle this over her head until the end of time. Tucker chuckled and patted Sam on the back, while Danny simply tugged awkwardly at his dark hair and stared at the ground.

"So, uhh, did you kill that thing?" Jazz asked after an uncomfortable pause.

"You mean Hollow? I doubt it," Danny answered. "I hurt him pretty bad, but he ran away before I could finish him off. But even if I had destroyed him, we'd still have a pretty big problem on our hands."

"What do you mean?" asked Tucker.

"Well, I got a glimpse inside Hollow's head, and I can still remember a few of the things I picked up from him. I don't think he's actually the one pulling the strings here."

"Wait, then who is?" asked Sam.

Danny tilted his head up and looked into the black sky. It was the same sky he had seen every day for the past three years, except this time he was aware of something that he had never noticed before. It was the kind of sight that would only be apparent to someone looking for it. High above them all, barely visible through the dim and yet oddly striking, was a pair of yellow, reptilian eyes. Danny stared up at those eyes, watching the pupils narrow into slits as the eyes looked back with rage.

"Keeper," Danny whispered. "And he's watching us."


	23. Second Interlude

Second Interlude

_You said I could come out to play if your partner failed you again. You said that you built me special, just in case he messed up again._

_Hollow has failed you, father. Let me try. I want to play with the Phantom._


	24. Deathbird

Chapter 21: Deathbird

Hollow was just barely holding on. His form trembled as he fled from his latest battle with the Phantom, shedding tiny wisps of memories as he sped through the air. He was losing his iridescence bit by bit, as if the images in his flesh were a mound of sand in a gentle breeze. Far below, he could hear the occasional cry of someone who's memory had slipped away from him, and with each lost soul he became more desperate to find a sanctuary where he could recover. How had this happened? How had the Phantom managed to so thoroughly invade him? How was a boy of only nineteen years of age able to almost destroy him? That shouldn't have been possible!

Hollow could only think of one place to go where he might find help and safety, and he absolutely loathed the idea. But what choice did he have? He was losing more and more memories with every passing second, and he needed aid. He was going to have to go to Keeper, and after losing to Phantom he was probably going to have to _beg_.

Hollow reluctantly sped up, thrusting himself upward into the dark sky as a trail of white drifted behind him. Up ahead of him, the hidden portal back to the meeting chamber cracked open, a ripple in a sea of black. He slipped through, and appeared at the entrance of the chamber.

When Hollow floated inside, Keeper was already waiting for him. He was furious, but it was not the panicked, screaming rage that Hollow had expected. Instead it was a cool, livid wrath that simmered quietly behind his yellow eyes.

"Hollow," Keeper said with a scowl, folding his skinny arms across his chest. "I figured you would be arriving soon."

"H- help me, Keeper!" Hollow wheezed slumping forward onto the slippery black floor.

"And why should I do that?" Keeper said, glowering down at his partner. "You have _failed_ me. Not only is the girl alive, but Phantom knows who he is! Why should I save you?"

"B- because you _need _me!" Hollow cried desperately. "If you don't help me, who will devour the memories of your prizes? Who will take the memories back from the Phantom? Your maze is in trouble!"

"That's right!" Keeper hissed. "My maze is in trouble because _you_ couldn't handle the simple task of killing a girl! You say that I need you, and I used to think that was true, but now I'm starting to see that depending on you leaves me far too vulnerable. I have to start looking into other options."

"You h-have no other o-options!" Hollow panted, struggling to keep himself from breaking apart. "You still need me!"

Keeper leaned over his writhing partner, a sinister grin washing over his skeletal face. He had never thought he would see the day when Hollow cowered before him, and it was one of the most delightful things he could have imagined.

"Ah, but Hollow my friend, you don't understand," Keeper whispered, his yellow eyes glinting in the dark. "You didn't really think I wouldn't have a back-up plan, did you? I am an obsessive, controlling creature, Hollow. I wasn't about to just sit back and _hope _you didn't mess up again. No, after that little image incident I started building something new, just in case."

Keeper then straightened, towering over Hollow. He turned his back on the hungry ghost, ignoring Hollow's desperate wails as he convulsed on the ground. Keeper walked over to the far side of the chamber and waved his bony hand in a delicate gesture. Another portal opened up before him like an inky whirlpool, and as it did Hollow could hear a strange clanking sound coming from the other side. Keeper smiled.

"I only just finished the final touches on it, and I can't _wait_ to show you!" Keeper giggled, his high pitched voice echoing across the chamber walls. "Come on out, my little darling! Don't be shy, now."

The clanking grew closer, and through the doorway shot a metallic, four-pronged foot with razor sharp talons. The foot alone was the height of a full-grown man, and as the creature pushed its way completely into the room, it was forced to to keep its massive head bowed – despite the chamber's high ceiling. It vaguely resembled a raptor, although its body was metal and somewhat incomplete. The gears of its clockwork skeleton remained exposed, and the whir of the pistons buzzed around the chamber as the thing spread the metal plates that made up its wings. The round eyes spewed blue flame as it jerked its head to one side and snapped at the air with its hooked silver beak.

"Isn't she _precious_?" Keeper gushed with pride as he reached up and stroked the creature's side. "She's got talons, just like her father! I infused her with the terror and pain of a couple hundred little test subjects that I swiped from my maze. I call her Deathbird. Not very creative, I know, but we artists can't _always_ be expected to come up with brilliant titles. Originally I was just planning on using her to help you deal with the Phantom, but after your most recent display, I think it would be better for me to change my tactics. Besides, I think my little girl will be able to handle things from now on."

Hollow groaned on the floor as he stared up at the gargantuan construct in front of him. He knew that his psychotic partner fancied himself as a brilliant craftsman – his maze being his masterwork – but Hollow had never imagined that Keeper would have something like _this_ up his sleeve.

"So you see," Keeper said, strutting back over to where Hollow lay, "I really don't need you anymore. I've realized that I can control my prizes just as easily with fear as I ever could by having you drain them, and as for the Phantom – well I think I just figured out a way of dealing him as well. Too bad you won't be around to see it."

"K- Kee-per!" Hollow gagged, reaching out a trembling limb. The images in his flesh were almost completely gone, and without them his body resembled clear gelatin. Hollow was unable to keep his arm lifted for more than a few moments, and he collapsed into a puddle, looking very much like a jelly fish stranded on a beach. Keeper knelt down beside him, and clicked his tongue as he shook his head.

"Tck, tck, tck, too bad, Hollow. You really are a pathetic mess. Here, let me help you."

Keeper raised his arm into the air and extended his talons, grinning as he looked down at the sad creature huddled in front of him. He laughed as he swiped his hand down, plunging his talons into Hollow's already weakened body. Hollow let out one last, terrified scream as his body burst apart, exploding in a white fog of strange flesh and glimmering memories. The last wisps of thought gathered in a small flurry and plunged into the basin in the center of the room to seek their true owners, while the wet globules of Hollow's flesh descended. Keeper reached out a hand as the remnants of Hollow rained down in the chamber, catching some of the slightly gooey flesh in his palm. He smiled as he brought his hand to his mouth and extended a grey tongue to lick the slimy substance that was once his partner off.

"Goodbye, Hollow," Keeper leered.

Behind him, Deathbird screeched and fluttered her metallic wings with a ripple of clinks.

"I know, my lovely," Keeper cooed. "You're eager to get to work. Well you don't have to wait any longer. You run along and play with the Phantom. Daddy needs to pay some people a visit."


	25. The Embodiment of Fear

Chapter 22: The Embodiment of Fear

Sam walked a few paces behind Danny, Tucker, and Jazz as they made their way back toward the main street of the city, her violet eyes glued to the ground. Her mind was swimming through a murky sea of thoughts and questions, and she wished she understood what she was feeling. So much had happened in such a short period of time, and Sam was having difficulty wrapping her brain around the situation.

Danny had become convinced that if he just got his bearings and took a look around, he would be able to figure out where the portal in and out of this place was based on what he learned inside of Hollow. He kept referring to this city as "the maze," which worried Sam on some level because it caused her to wonder how many of Hollow's memories had left an imprint on her friend's brain. And what about the other minds in the network? How many of _those _personalities had left something floating behind in Danny? He was still Danny, there was no question about that, but he seemed to have a few additional fragments of knowledge. Sam could have sworn that she heard him humming a tune earlier that she didn't recognize, and shortly after he made some comment about the trajectory of a flight path across the city that they could use in an emergency.

But Danny was _terrible_ at math!

And there was something else that was bothering Sam – something that gnawed at her mind even more than Danny's extra bits of knowledge or their current dilemma. Danny had _kissed _her! What did this mean? Had he been serious, or was he just reacting to the shock of having his memories flood back into his consciousness? After having no concept of who he was for three years, how was he supposed to know how he really felt? Maybe he had just gotten carried away with the relief of remembering who he was. Or maybe he had just been confused.

Aside from the occasional snide remark from Tucker, the subject had been completely dropped. There had been no time for resolution or clarification once Tucker and Jazz showed up, so Sam was left suspended in the grey limbo of uncertainty – unsure as to where she and Danny now stood.

_God! Why am I being so stupid? _Sam thought as she continued to trail behind her friends. _We have more important things to deal with right now. Like Keeper. Like getting home. A stupid little kiss is the least of my worries!_

"Sam?"

Sam snapped back into reality to find that Danny, Jazz, and Tucker had all stopped and had turned to face her. Her lagging behind and slumped posture had not gone unnoticed.

"Sam, are you ok?" Danny said. "You've been... awfully quiet..."

"Oh," Sam said, plastering on an attempt at a smile. "It's nothing. I'm fine. Just tired from everything that's been going on, you know?"

Danny frowned and put a hand on his hip. He might have spent three years away from Sam, but he could still tell when something was bothering her. He caught her gaze, his ice-blue eyes looking directly into pools of purple, and he and Sam became locked in a silent staring match.

Tucker and Jazz looked at each other with quirked brows as the silence grew thick and heavy. This obviously did not involve them.

"Umm, I think Tucker and I will go scout out up ahead," Jazz said after a painful pause. "You two catch up when you're ready."

Before Sam had any opportunity to protest, Jazz and Tucker bolted down the street, turning a corner and disappearing from sight.

"Now," said Danny once Jazz and Tucker were gone, "what's wrong?"

Sam was unable to keep looking in Danny's eyes, and her gaze fell back down to the ground.

"It's stupid..." Sam said, a pink glow emanating from her fair cheeks as she rubbed her hands together nervously. How was it possible that she could jump headfirst into a mysterious portal and risk death, but she couldn't talk to her best friend about how she felt?

Danny let out a sigh and nodded to himself as he watched her fidget. It was pretty clear what was on her mind. He crossed over to where she stood and gently put his hands on her shoulders, cocking his head to one side as he looked down at her.

"Sam," Danny said, "if this is about what happened before, please don't think that –"

"AHHHHHHHH!"

Once again Sam was left hanging. Danny's sentence was sliced into by the sharp scream that came from where Jazz and Tucker had rounded the bend.

"Jazz!" Danny shouted as he whirled around and headed toward his sister's cry. Sam bolted after him, pulling out her weapon as she ran. This place was not a good environment for the discussion of relationships. There were bigger problems here. Problems like...

_THAT! _

As Sam and Danny rounded the bend and sprinted down to where Jazz and Tucker had stopped at an intersection, it became quite clear what had caused Jazz to scream. The streets of the city were in complete pandemonium. What had once been the groans and gurgles of mindless, soulless drones had now been transformed into terrified and confused shrieks that echoed after Jazz's cry like a rising chorus. The people in the streets swarmed in a wailing, frantic mob – trampling over each other in their desperation.

And what they were running from was descending from the sky in a graceful dive, blue fire raging from its enormous eyes. The wingspan of the giant metallic bird engulfed the sky, casting a shadow over the already darkened streets.

"What _is_ that thing?" Tucker shouted, gripping the handle of his weapon. "And why aren't these people acting like zombies anymore?"

"I don't know," said Danny. "But right now it hardly matters. You know the drill!"

Danny clenched his fists, and a white circle of light manifested around his torso, splitting in two and traveling up and down the whole of his body. Black hair turned to shock white, blue eyes glowed to green, and ragged jeans and a tee shirt transformed into the signature black uniform of Danny Phantom.

Danny kicked off the ground and sped toward the metal bird as it swooped low over the screaming crowd. A ball of green energy illuminated in a white-gloved hand, and Danny shot his fist out in front of him, releasing an energy blast as he flew. But the monster anticipated the attack and swerved upward, avoiding Danny's blast only within an inch of the gyrating gears of its underbelly. It looped back around and spouted a blast of blue flame from its beak that hit Danny square in the chest and sent him hurtling backwards.

However, the bird did not anticipate the attack from below. A bolt from Sam's Ecto-Blaster struck the creature in the underside of its left wing just as it charged after Danny, causing it to tilt and careen off course like damaged airplane. The massive wing dipped to the ground, scraping along the pavement a few yards away from Sam, Tucker, and Jazz as the terrified horde scurried for cover. The rest of the creature's body started to make contact with the ground as well, but its forward momentum was only slowed by the impact and it was clear that once it was able to regain control of itself it would be airborne again.

Tucker wasted no time. As the wing touched the street he lunged forward on an impulse, leaping toward the wing and grabbing a hold of the edge. He buried his fingers in between the metal plates that were the feathers, and started to climb up onto the creature's back. This was definitely not one of his better ideas, but he couldn't really think of anything else. If he could just get on top of the thing, maybe he could attack it at its head – or at the very least, distract it.

"Tucker!" Jazz and Sam screamed simultaneously as they watched him scramble up the side of the wing.

"Is he crazy?" Jazz said, slapping a hand onto her forehead. But when she turned to face Sam she found that the girl was no longer standing next to her. Instead, she was charging toward the beast just as Tucker had, and soon she too was clambering up onto the bird.

"Dammit!" Jazz said as she threw herself into the fray. "How do I end up in these situations?"

But Jazz was not able to make it to the raptor in time. Just as she started to bolt forward, the creature managed pulled itself upright. Tucker and Sam were barely able to maintain their hold as they finally hoisted themselves into the crevice between the wings. It reared back, its metal wings flaring outward with a loud _chink, _and the massive silver beak snapped angrily at the air The creature turned its fiery gaze toward Jazz and let out a screech that echoed in her brain like the scraping of cement on steel.

It was unlike anything she had ever heard. It was a sound that resonated with the purest terror, striking Jazz at her very core. The world faded around her as everything was absorbed by that sound, and it swept through her like a wave of absolute dread. She couldn't move. She couldn't breathe. This horror consumed every corner of her mind and left her completely paralyzed.

"Tremble, girl!" A metallic, vaguely feminine voice rang in Jazz's ears. "I am Deathbird. I am the embodiment of _fear_!"


	26. Fated To Tragedy

Chapter 23: Fated to Tragedy

Maddie Fenton gazed out of the window in her living room, her eyes sparkling in the golden light of the late afternoon. She sat in a chair like a statue, her hands folded gently in her lap. She had been sitting like that for two days, not speaking, not eating, not moving. After the police discovered that Jazz had not shown up to her internship and had not been seen at any of her classes, Maddie had just shut down. Her state was only exacerbated by the fact that Tucker and Sam were also nowhere to be found, and her husband had been unable to convince her that the situation was not yet dire. Jack had tried to tell her that it would be alright. He had tried to get her to eat and to get her to move. But she was traumatized, and so far nothing had been able to snap her out of it.

Jack sighed as he entered from the kitchen, holding a tray with two sandwiches in his hands. He walked over to his wife and knelt down, nudging the tray into her line of sight.

"Maddie?" he said, looking up at her. "Maddie, sweetheart? Please eat something."

"Is it going to rain tomorrow?" Maddie said, still staring blankly out the window. Her voice was soft and almost completely devoid of expression, but she was speaking and that was an improvement.

"I don't know Maddie. Would you like me to find out? I could turn on the news."

"It _should_ be raining. Sunlight doesn't fit my mood. Go see if it will rain."

Jack sighed, placing the tray down at his wife's side. He pressed his palms on his knees as he hoisted himself up. Jack gave his wife a gentle pat on her shoulder, then turned and made his way over to the television set, switching it on with a soft _click_. But as the black of the screen faded into the backlight, Jack found that there was nothing to be found but static. Channel after channel, he was unable to find anything on any of the stations, much less the weather report. Jack frowned and tapped the side of the television set a couple of times with his fist.

"That's odd," he muttered. "The satellite dish must be out. Maybe I can check the radio..."

Jack switched off the television and moved across the room to where the radio sat on an end table, his back still turned on his wife. He turned the knob, and as he did so a harsh buzz flared out from the device and pierced his ears.

"Gah!" Jack exclaimed, wincing as he quickly shut the radio off. "There must be some problem with our signals or something."

"Yes, my portals sometimes do that," a shrill voice said from behind him. "I never have been able to figure out why, but it makes for an effective entrance so I really don't care."

Jack spun around to find himself staring into a pair of yellow, reptilian eyes. Those eyes were set in the sallow sockets of a face unlike anything he had ever seen. It was gaunt, with a broad, toothy grin and papery grey skin that folded into crisp creases when the thing smiled. The creature was holding an unconscious Maddie in its outstretched arms, and its fingers flicked out a set of razor sharp talons.

"MADDIE!" Jack screamed, his eyes widening in horror. "What have you done to her?"

"Relax, I just knocked her out," the thing said. "It's remarkably easy to sneak up on someone who just sits there like a mannequin, especially when her husband is too busy with the his electronics to pay attention to his surroundings."

"LET HER GO!" Jack said, taking a step forward and clenching his fists.

"Ah, ah, ah," the creature warned, pressing a talon up to Maddie's exposed neck. "You wouldn't want to make any sudden movements that might _upset _me, would you? My hand might slip."

Jack froze. For the first time in three long years, he wished that he had his ghost-hunting gear on his person. Not that he was even sure this thing _was_ a ghost, but it certainly wasn't human.

"Wh-who are you? What do you want?"

"Ah, yes. I'm afraid I have been rude. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Keeper, and I am an artist of sorts. I have recently been having a few... problems, and I need you to help me deal with them. My work is in jeopardy and I require _leverage_, and I think you and your lovely wife can be of aid."

"Why would I help something like you?" Jack shouted.

"Because," Keeper said as he drew a tiny red line in the side of Maddie's neck with the sharp claw of his thumb, "you don't have a choice." Maddie flinched as the talon made the tiny slice in her skin, but she did not wake.

"Alright, alright," Jack said, putting his palms up. "Please, don't hurt her! What do you want me to do?"

A portal that swirled like a black whirlpool appeared behind Keeper's emaciated figure, and his skull-like face contorted into a crooked grin.

"Nothing much. Just step into my portal. Come peaceably, and your wife will live, plain and simple. Like I said, all I really need is leverage."

Keeper tightened his grip on Maddie and indicated the portal with a jerk of his head. Jack knew that he was trapped. He didn't know what this thing wanted with him, but he couldn't risk Maddie's life by refusing it. He raised his hands high into the air and moved slowly toward the vortex, walking with the semblance of a man on death row. Why did these things keep happening to _his_ family? Hadn't the pain of Danny's loss been enough? Why were they now being forced to suffer even more? First Danny, then Jazz, and now... now _this!_

As Jack stepped up to the blackness ahead of him, his heart was gripped by an icy terror as a possibility entered his mind: perhaps the Fenton family was fated to end in tragedy.

That thought lingered in Jack's mind as Keeper's portal swelled around him. It taunted him as he was enveloped by the cold and the dark. It accompanied him as he tumbled into oblivion, and when he finally lost consciousness, it haunted his nightmares.

_Is this really... our fate?_


	27. Fight Or Flight?

Chapter 24: Fight Or Flight?

They had all heard Deathbird's shriek, and they had all felt the fear radiating from that sound, but Jazz seemed to have gotten the worst of it. What had struck Danny, Sam, and Tucker as a surge of nausea and a prickle up the spine had wrapped Jazz in a petrified terror, leaving her helpless.

"JAZZ!" Danny screamed, wheeling around and launching himself back toward the monstrous bird. Jazz was standing beneath Deathbird, completely frozen. Her face was shock white, and the pupils of her eyes dilated to pinpricks as she stared up at the creature before her. Danny dove for his sister as Deathbird raised a taloned foot and took a swipe. He barreled into Jazz just before the massive claws struck, slicing a deep gash across Danny's back as he pushed his sister out of harm's way. Danny skidded across the pavement and crumpled in a heap on the sidewalk, his trembling sister still huddled in his arms.

Deathbird moved to strike Danny again, and Tucker raised his weapon above his head and activated the green blade, still balancing on the creature's back. He let out a ferocious yell as he plunged the blade into the gears at the base of Deathbird's neck, causing the monster to roil back. Sam followed Tucker's example and fired two consecutive shots into the bird's spine, and Deathbird flailed wildly as the energy coursed through her mechanical skeleton. Tucker and Sam both lost their grip on the creature and went hurtling off of its back, slamming down into the pavement with a painful _thud. _

Deathbird was disoriented from Tucker and Sam's combined attack, and she swerved from side to side like a drugged animal, her wings flapping angrily. Sam and Tucker peeled themselves off of the street and sprinted over to where Danny and Jazz lay while Deathbird continued to stumble around the street. Blood was streaming out of the wound on Danny's back like glistening river of crimson, and for a frantic moment Sam feared the worst. But as she and Tucker rushed to Danny's side and knelt down, he pulled himself up into a sitting position. Jazz was still stunned in his arms, but her head moved lazily from side to side and her eyes were starting to track the movement around her. It seemed that she was slowly snapping back into reality.

"D-Danny?" Jazz murmured, blinking wildly and reaching up with a quailing hand.

"Well, at least she's starting to come to," said Tucker.

"Watch her, Tuck," Danny said, gently transferring Jazz to Tucker's arms and rising to his feet. "I have to finish this."

"I'll cover you from the ground," Sam said, holding up the Ecto-Blaster as she stood. Danny turned to argue with her, but his gaze was met with a a pair of unwavering purple eyes and his words never made it out of his mouth. Considering what that creature had been able to do to Jazz he probably could use the back up, and he knew it. If he became incapacitated the way his sister had, Sam might be able to keep the thing busy long enough for him to recover. Then again, maybe not.

Danny jerked his head in a reluctant nod, then leaped into the air and shot toward his target with Sam trailing behind on foot. Deathbird was starting to regain her bearings, and her head snapped toward Danny as he sped forward. She batted her wings and lifted off the ground, stirring a great wind that swirled with an upward spiral of grey dust and bits of debris. Her jaw opened on its enormous hinge, and the blue flame in her eyes flared outward as she howled with her icy cry of horror.

Danny felt the fear again, and this time it was aimed directly at him. It hit him with the intensity of a shock wave, vibrating through his bones and telling every molecule of his being to flee. He felt cold. He felt sick. He felt like running away and never looking back.

But something inside of him pushed him forward, almost as if he were possessed. He was not in control of his own faculties, and his body was operating completely on autopilot. Some facet of his personality had taken over and was driving him through his terror. He was going to attack whether he wanted to or not, and no matter how hard he tried that force inside of him would not let him turn back. Perhaps it was his instinctive tendency to be the hero. Perhaps it was his some side effect of his powers. Or perhaps it was simply his need to protect those he loved. But whatever it was, it was in control. Energy began to gather in his hands, and he zipped across the black backdrop of the sky like a shooting star.

Sam readied her weapon as she watched Danny erupt in green brilliance. She looped around to the back of the creature and aimed, bracing herself as she waited for just the right moment. Almost... almost...

_NOW!_

Sam gritted her teeth as she pulled the trigger, firing a blast right into the creature's back. As the bolt struck, Danny plowed into the front side of the beast, slamming into her chest and releasing his own energy blast. The timing was perfect. Deathbird was caught in between the two simultaneous attacks, and she crumpled as two energies surged through her from opposite sides. Her wings folded around her body as she dropped from the sky like a stone. Danny wrapped his arms around himself and phased, barely avoiding being trapped inside Deathbird's metal rib cage as she fell. He then dove for Sam, catching her and sweeping her into the air just as Deathbird crashed into the pavement. The bird's massive form made a crater with the impact, and had Sam still been where she was she would have fallen right into it. Deatbird's wings stuck out of the hole like sharp mountains – the tips twitching slightly before becoming rigid – and a stillness swept across the street as bits of dust and debris settled on the ground.

Danny took Sam back over to where Jazz and Tucker were standing and set down. Jazz had regained herself, although she was still shaking slightly. She smiled weakly at her brother, her pride overpowering her exhaustion. Tucker beamed at his friends and flung himself at them as soon at their feet touched the pavement.

"That was AMAZING!" Tucker raved as he grabbed Danny and Sam in a quick embrace. "Sam, your timing was incredible!"

"I play a lot of online video games," Sam said with a shrug. "Gives me good reflexes."

"I guess we make a good team," Danny said, looking down at Sam with a grin. Sam felt the heat of a blush rising in her cheeks and she shifted her gaze to the ground.

"Yeah, I guess," Sam said. "But we used to do this sort of thing all the time. It's no big deal."

"Don't be so modest, Sam," Jazz said, placing a hand on Sam's shoulder. "You two worked _perfectly_ together." Sam wondered if Jazz was trying to hint at something more with that comment, but she chose not to press the issue.

"Yeah!" Tucker exclaimed. "You guys were great. I mean, it was awesome! It was stellar! It was –"

"NOT ENOUGH!" Deathbird's voice shook the ground, and a metal foot lashed out from the crater and descended on the four companions like a steel cage.

A green light flickered from a small disk embedded in the center of Deathbird's foot. The light quickly spread into a field that stretched between the talons, and Danny's jaw dropped as he realized that it was ghost shield.

Deathbird hoisted the rest of her body out of the crater with her wings and released a metallic squawk. Her head swiveled to one side as she set a glowing blue eye on her captives.

Tucker reached out and tried to press his hand through the field, and the ghost shield sent a jolt of energy through his body that knocked him off of his feet.

"I guess that answers the question as to whether this holds humans, too..." Tucker grumbled as he slowly picked himself back up.

"Father specifically equipped me to fight you when he built me," Deathbird said. "You should have known it wouldn't be that easy. You should have known I would be prepared for you."

"_Father_?" Danny exclaimed.

"Yes," Deathbird replied. "My father, the great craftsman Keeper. He created me to replace that pathetic partner of his, and I don't intend to disappoint him."

"So then why are you talking to us?" Sam spat, her violet eyes set in a glare. "Why don't you just kill us and get it over with?"

Tucker jabbed Sam in the side with his elbow, but it was too late for her to retract her statement.

"I was not sent here to kill you," Deathbird replied calmly. "I was sent here to collect you."

Her talons clamped shut, encasing Danny, Sam, Tucker and Jazz in a spherical prison as the ghost shield followed the movement of her claws. Her gigantic wings fanned out as she took flight, and in a matter of seconds the group found themselves being carried high above the city.

"Where is she taking us?" Tucker asked as he looked through the green tint of the ghost shield to the streets far below.

"Probably to Keeper," Danny said.

"So... what do we do now?" asked Jazz.

Danny shrugged, trying to act less concerned than he actually was. "We wait. I'm just going to have to fight Keeper on his own turf, that's all. Don't worry, I'm sure we'll figure a way out of this."

Danny's words were brave, but he knew that it wasn't going to be that simple. If Danny had learned anything from overshadowing Hollow, it was that things with Keeper were never simple.


	28. The Cage

Chapter 25: The Cage

Jack Fenton slowly opened his eyes, allowing his surroundings to creep into his vision.

He was splayed out on a cold, flat surface, and his ankles and wrists were fastened tightly by metal clamps. It took him some time to realize that he was not in fact lying down, but was hanging on a wall in one of the strangest rooms he had ever seen. He was in a large, dimly lit chamber made of slick black stone. The ceiling was high, and there was a large basin located in what appeared to be the center.

A bizarre object occupied the adjacent wall – obscuring his view of the chamber's entrance – and a chill worked its way up Jack's spine as he looked at it. The thing looked like it was forged in a nightmare, with coiled spikes of tarnished metal jutting out of its sides. It was about the size of a phone booth, but it was ovoid in shape and it vaguely reminded Jack of a venus fly trap with the sharp interlocking metal teeth that held it closed. Jack didn't know what was inside the confines of that twisted metal structure, but he got the distinct impression that he was looking at some sort of torture chamber or prison. Perhaps both.

Thoughts of Maddie suddenly leaped into Jack's mind as the horrendous idea occurred to him that she might be the one that structure was meant to contain, and he frantically began to scan the room for any signs of her. His neck was stiff and sore, and it took some degree of effort to swivel his gaze from side to side, but he needed to make sure his wife was unharmed. When he finally spotted her he found that she was not strapped up the way that he was. Instead, her hands were tied behind her back with wire and she was slouched against the opposite wall, her eyes staring blankly into space.

"Maddie!" Jack cried. "Maddie, are you alright?"

But Maddie did not respond. She turned her head and looked at her husband with a vacant stare. Her will to fight back – or even to move – was completely gone, and Jack feared that she might have finally been devoured by her own despair. He couldn't really blame her. Everything in their lives had gone so terribly wrong, so what was the point of resisting this?

"She's not very lively, is she?" Keeper's shrill voice rang out from the shadows. He stepped out from behind the twisted object, his gaunt face consumed by a grin. "I guess she's just depressed. It is fairly gloomy in here, I suppose, but I rather like it. Besides," Keeper jerked his head toward the metal structure next to him, "my newest installment has added a little extra flare to this room, and I think it is going to become my _favorite _decoration."

"Please," Jack gasped, his dehydrated voice scraping like sandpaper. "Please, let her go. I don't know what you want with us, but if you just keep me and send her back..."

"I'm not letting anyone go just yet," Keeper said. He patted the side of metal trap and added, "not until I cage a Phantom."

"Phantom?" Jack said, his eyes widening. "As in _the _Phantom?" That was name Jack hadn't heard in a long time. Granted, he had given up ghost hunting, so he had no reason to pay attention to the activities of ghosts, but he still was surprised to hear that the Phantom was somehow involved in this.

"Yes _the_ Phantom," Keeper jeered. "That _is_ what this is all about, after all. He's my greatest trophy, and I refuse to give him up, but he is just too much trouble when he's running loose in my maze. I need to do something to keep him under control."

"What do you need us for?"

"Ugh," Keeper rolled his yellow eyes as though Jack had just asked the stupidest question in all of the universe. "Obviously I'm going to use you as incentive."

"I don't understand," Jack said.

"Of course you don't," Keeper said wryly. "You're an idiot."

Keeper turned his back on Jack and sashayed across to where Maddie was seated. He reached down and grabbed the woman by her hair, yanking her to her feet. Jack struggled in his restraints as Keeper dragged Maddie toward the center of the room. Maddie did not try to break free of Keeper's grip. She simply allowed herself to be brutally jerked along, moving as if she were a rag doll.

"Stop it!" Jack shouted. "Leave her alone!"

"SHUT UP!" Keeper barked, still clutching Maddie's hair. "I am getting SICK of hearing your voice! Just be quiet until our guests arrive, or I will stab your wife's eyes out, understand?"

Jack snapped into obedience, nodding his head vigorously and allowing his body to hang limp.

"Good," Keeper hissed, snagging Maddie by the waist and pinning her back up against his skeletal form. He extended his talons and wrapped one arm around his hostage's neck. Maddie slouched back into Keeper's hold, glossy-eyed and uncaring.

"Now," Keeper said, his icy breath nipping at the edges of Maddie's ear, "we're just going to sit back, and wait for the Phantom."

The wait wasn't very long. After only a few minutes, the clatter of metal wings became audible from just outside the dark chamber. Keeper's grin devoured his face as Deathbird ducked into the room and proudly thrust out the foot that glowed with the green light of the ghost shield.

"I brought you something, father," her voice echoed off the chamber walls with a deafening ring. The green light of the ghost shield flickered and vanished, and Deathbird tossed the contents of her talons onto the floor. Danny, Sam, Tucker, and Jazz tumbled out from the monster's claws and fell into a heap, landing with their faces pressed against cold black stone.

"That's my girl!" Keeper gushed. "I knew I could count on you!"

The four companions slowly lifted themselves off the floor, and as they regained their feet and looked at Keeper they stumbled back with a collective gasp. Danny choked on his own air as his esophagus clamped itself shut at the sight of his mother."No," Danny murmured as his eyes fell upon Keeper's extended talons. "Oh God, please no..."

"Oh my God!" Jazz wailed, clutching at her chest. "Mom?"

Maddie's eyes cleared and grew wide as she saw her daughter's face.

"J-Jazz?" Maddie sputtered hoarsely.

"JAZZ! SAM! TUCKER!" Jack bellowed, clattering in his restraints. "What are you kids doing here?" The four friends all snapped their focus over to the man hanging on the wall, who they had not realized was there.

"DAD?" Danny and Jazz exclaimed simultaneously. Danny received a befuddled look from his father, and it occurred to him that he was still in ghost form. Jack Fenton had no idea that his son was standing right in front of him – in fact, he thought his son was dead – and Danny had just called him _Dad_.

"I'm so glad you could join us, Phantom," Keeper simpered as he tightened his grip on Maddie. "I brought your parents here and everything."

"What? Parents?" Jack said. "We're not _his _par –"

"I thought I told you to shut up!" Keeper snarled. "What kind of ghost hunting moron can't figure out his son is a half ghost, anyway?"

"My son is dead!" Jack cried. "Whatever game you are playing – "

"He's not dead!" Jazz intervened, looking straight into her father's eyes. "He was just... trapped!"

Jack's eyes bulged as he gawked at his daughter. What was she _saying_? He shifted his gaze to look at the young man before him – then looked back to Jazz, then Tucker, then Sam – and his jaw dropped as the truth finally sunk into his brain.

"I-It can't be... Danny? My son? _Half_ ghost?" Jack could feel his limbs trembling as he stared at Phantom, noticing for the first time the resemblance between the ghost boy and his son. His head was spinning wildly and he felt like all of his strength was draining from his body, but somehow it all was starting to make sense. All of the strange occurrences, all of the late nights, all of the difficulty keeping up with school work. Even the attack on Danny three years ago was explained by this revelation. How could he have not seen it before? All this time... Danny was... "It really _is_ you! Oh God, Danny!"

"HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU TO SHUT UP?" Keeper roared. Keeper shot a look at Deathbird and jerked his head in Jack's direction. Deathbird knew what her father wanted, and she lifted a massive claw and slashed a wide gash across Jack's chest, causing the man to howl in pain.

"Consider that a warning!" Keeper said. "Now, pending further interruptions from your family, let's get back to business."

"Stop this, Keeper!" Danny growled as he took a step forward and clenched his fist into a tight ball. "Let them go! It's me you want, so let them go."

"I'm glad we're on the same page, Phantom," Keeper replied. "You see, I would be happy to let your family – as well as your little friends – go. After all, they are not nearly as valuable to me as you are. You're just going to have to do a little something for me before I release them."

Keeper gave a nod to his monstrous daughter, and Deathbird reached over with her enormous leg and pressed something on the side of the twisted metal object with the tip of one of her claws. The interlocking shards of metal snapped back with a resounding _ka-chunk_, and the thing opened like the jaw of a snake. Red and black energy roiled from within the structure, swirling like a mixture of oil and blood.

"Get in," Keeper commanded, pressing a talon up to Maddie's neck. "Get in or she dies," Keeper shot a glance at Sam, Jazz, and Tucker and added, "and don't even _think_ about reaching for your weapons!"

Danny looked over his shoulder and blinked at the object in astonishment. Something about that surging blackness with its shots of swirling crimson spoke to him of an everlasting nightmare. Whatever awaited him in there, he was sure it would be far from pleasant. "What the hell is that?"

"It is a cage," Keeper said. "It's a cage I built to hold you and torture you for the rest of your miserable little existence. Now GET IN!"

"NO!" Sam screamed suddenly, rushing to Danny's side and grabbing hold of his arm. "If you think that we're just gonna sit back and let you take him –"

"Nobody asked you, girl," Keeper hissed.

"How can Danny even trust you?" Jazz blurted out. "You're more likely to kill us or throw us into that stupid maze of yours than you are to set us free. Why should he believe that you'll just let us go if he goes into that thing?"

"Because," Danny answered, a bitter smile quirking at the corner of his mouth as realization set in, "I'm too powerful. That's it, isn't it, Keeper? After three years of watching me in your maze you know that I might _eventually_ break free of any trap you built. Mazes, ghost shields, even this new invention of yours – they can only hold me for so long, especially now that I know who I am. If you are going to keep me _forever_, you're going to need my cooperation. Which means you can't hurt the only leverage you've got once I'm in there."

Keeper's face contorted into a scowl, and Danny knew that he had hit the nail on the head. Keeper was loathed to admit any weakness in his work, but the Phantom was now proving to be more formidable than had previously been anticipated. Something about these _friends_ of his made Phantom difficult to deal with, and as a result he was on the verge of breaking free of Keeper's greatest masterpiece. Keeper knew that it would only be a matter of time before the boy found some way out of his cage as well. In three years, Phantom had only gotten stronger, and there was no reason not to expect that trend to continue. Keeper was just going to have to sacrifice his own sadistic tendencies if he wanted to ensure the possession of his favorite trinket.

"You know what Hollow knew, Phantom," Keeper said with a venomous hiss. "You know that if you cause me trouble I am more than capable of finding and hurting anyone you care about, and you know that I will not hesitate to murder your mother if you refuse me now. But as long as you do what I ask, as long as you stay put and suffer quietly in your cage and let me own you, I will leave them alone. Now, step inside before I slit your mother's throat! "

Danny looked at his mother's eyes. They were wide with shock and horror, and he wondered what she thought of him now that she knew who and what he was. Something flickered in her stare, and Danny would almost call it a hint of rising anger. He turned his face aside, unable to face what he feared to be an accusing gaze, and slowly he nodded his head.

"Alright, Keeper," Danny whispered. "You win."

"Don't do it, Danny!" Tucker said. "There must be some other way –"

"I've made my decision, Tucker!" Danny snapped, shooting a stern glance at his friend. He had to stand firm. He couldn't let his friends persuade him to weakness. Keeper had Danny backed into a corner, and Danny knew it. If he didn't do what Keeper wanted, his mother would be killed. No matter what Tucker said, no matter what anyone else argued, the risk of opposing Keeper's wishes was just too high. It was his fault that any of his loved ones were involved in this mess anyway, and he was going to have to take the fall.

But there was one last thing he needed to take care of before he gave his soul away.

"Sam," Danny said, turning to the raven-haired girl beside him, "you know I meant it, right? When I kissed you... it wasn't just out of relief, and it wasn't a joke or a silly whim or something I did because I was confused. I did it because it was something I should have done years ago, and I _meant_ _it_. I need to make sure you understand that... before I go..."

"Danny... no..." Sam choked, tears glistening in her violet eyes. How was she supposed to give him up a second time? How could she possibly be expected to endure that? What was the point of all she had done if she was just going to lose him again?

Danny reached out a gloved hand and rested it on her cheek, wiping her tears away with his thumb. He gazed down at her with his electric green eyes and forced his lips into a weak smile.

"It's ok, Sam," he whispered. "You will be safe, and Tucker will be safe, and my family will be safe, so that makes it worth it."

"Danny..."

Danny wrapped an arm around Sam's waist and pulled her into a fierce, passionate kiss, pressing her firmly against him as he tasted the sweetness of her mauve lips. The moment lingered, and they held there as long as they could, savoring each second of the kiss that would inevitably be their last. Neither one of them wanted to let go. Neither one of them wanted to give the other up. But they both knew they would have to.

"Alright, Phantom," Keeper hissed with disgust once his patience ran out. "That is quite enough of _that_. Let's hurry this up. My hands are getting twitchy."

Danny reluctantly pulled away from Sam and turned to begin the slow march toward his eternal cage. The room was completely still as he strode forward, and everyone observed the scene like an honorary guard of mournful statues. Sam's gentle sobs reverberated off of the chamber walls, filling every inch of space with the sound of lamentation. All eyes were set firmly on the young man who was about to sacrifice himself to an infinity of imprisonment – except for Jazz's. Only she allowed her gaze to stray over to where Keeper held his hostage.

No one else saw what she saw. No one else looked where she looked. But as Jazz turned her bleary, tear-filled eyes toward her captive mother, she noticed something in Maddie's demeanor that was alarming. Maddie's gaze was fixated on her son, and her face wore an expression of fury the likes of which Jazz had never seen. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes were narrowed into thin slits, and her fists were clenched so tightly behind her back that her nails dug into her palms, causing blood to ooze out from between her fingers. Her glower was savage – almost animalistic. She was no longer the frail husk of a grieving mother that she had been for the past three years. Something had changed, and the fierce warrior she had once been was beginning to resurface.

Keeper was still watching Danny approach the cage with his twisted grin while Deathbird fluttered her metal wings in the background, and he was unaware that the woman in his grasp was boiling over with rage.

Jazz knew what was about to happen. She knew what Maddie was thinking and why she was angry.

And she knew that it was never wise to get between a mother bear and her cubs.


	29. The Fray

Chapter 26: The Fray

The atmosphere of the room was transformed in an instant. Solemn stillness erupted into violent chaos, and it all started with a single act on the part of Maddie Fenton.The first thing to hit Danny's perception was the sound. A grotesque _crunch _cut across the quiet of the chamber as angry teeth tore through the dry, papery flesh of Keeper's emaciated wrist. It was accompanied by the sharp _snap _of breaking bone as Keeper's hand was severed from his skeletal arm by the enraged jaws of a protective mother. Next came the shocked, high-pitched yowl from Keeper, who had not expected to be bitten by his hostage. He released Maddie with an accidental shove as searing pain shot up through his damaged limb, and Maddie stumbled free and immediately spun to face the creature.

"You little witch!" Keeper screeched, cradling his wounded arm. He gawked down at his missing right hand, and his face contorted into a furious grimace as thick, black blood oozed out from his injury. "You – you_ bit my hand off_! I ought to kill you for that!"

"I WON'T LET YOU HAVE MY SON!" Maddie roared, her eyes blazing as the black liquid of Keeper's blood dribbled from the corners of her mouth. Her hands were still bound behind her back by the wire, but she didn't seem to notice or care.

Danny came to an abrupt halt in front of the twisted metal cage and wheeled around just in time to see his mother fling herself at an incredulous Keeper, charging into him like an infuriated bull and knocking him to the ground. Keeper kicked her violently in the stomach with both of his feet as the two of them slid across the chamber floor. Maddie buckled over as the wind was thrust from her lungs, and she fell away from Keeper once again, staggering backward and sideways until she slammed against the side of the wall where her husband was strung up. The side of her skull smashed into the black stone, and she slumped into unconsciousness as a trickle of crimson rolled down from her hairline.

"MOM!" Jazz shouted, bolting across the room to tend to her mother. She knew that the room was about to become enveloped in a frenzy, and she was not about to leave her mother unguarded. As Jazz rushed to Maddie's side, she yelled out, "Danny, get Keeper!"

Danny didn't need his sister to tell him twice. He leaped into the air as soon as it registered in his brain that his mother was no longer in Keeper's grasp, lunging forward and encasing his fist in a sheath of green energy. Keeper was still picking himself up off the floor, and soon found himself in a frantic grapple with an angry half-ghost. Keeper and Danny tumbled on the ground in an entangled ball of glowing green fists and slashing claws, and Danny could feel the adrenaline surging through his veins as his mind became overrun with spite. Each punch, each blow inspired a pang of righteous fury, and Danny soon forgot about his surroundings and became completely absorbed in the tussle. All he wanted was to make Keeper _pay_...

On the other side of the chamber, Tucker and Sam were having their own problems. They whirled around as they heard Deathbird's wings clink against the chamber walls. Tucker was already activating the blade of his weapon and taking aim, wielding it as he would a lance. Deathbird's massive beak began to open, and it wasn't hard to guess what her next attack was going to be, so Tucker was going to have to make this count – before the monster stunned someone with fear. He pulled his shoulder back and pointed the tip of his weapon up at the bird's throat. As Deathbird prepared to release her shriek of terror, Tucker thrust his arm forward and sent his weapon flying through the air, muttering a prayer under his breath as he did so. The weapon soared toward its target in a streak of neon green, miraculously hitting its mark. The blade lodged itself in between the gears in the front of Deathbird's neck, and her cry came out like the sputtering grind of a broken music box.

"Nice shot, Tuck!" Sam cheered, pulling out her own weapon as she ran to Tucker's side.

"Yeah, I can't believe I made it!" Tucker replied, looking up at the wheezing bird as she flailed wildly, banging her head into the ceiling of the chamber. "But now I don't have a weapon..."

"I do," Sam said, closing one violet eye and pointing her Ecto-Blaster at Deathbird's torso. She could hear the hisses and grunts of Danny and Keeper brawling behind her – as well as the shouting of Jazz and Jack Fenton – and she knew that she was going to have be the one to keep Deathbird occupied – at least for the time being.

Sam held her breath and fired, pulling the trigger several times in rapid succession and blasting the bird square in the chest with multiple green bolts of energy. The beast was already distracted by the weapon embedded in her throat, and as the energy from Sam's gun coursed through her metallic ribcage, she fell back into the entryway of the chamber. Deathbird's monstrous body became wedged in the arch of the entrance, and she soon found herself firmly stuck with her metal wings pinned to her sides. Her massive neck was craned forward at an unnatural angle, and furious blue flames flared from her eyes as she made a raspy attempt at a squawk.

Deathbird's wings twisted as she struggled to free herself, causing the chamber to quiver, and sparks exploded like tiny orange fireworks as metal scraped against stone. The trapped creature kicked a giant metal foot in the direction of Tucker and Sam, and the two friends grabbed hands and dove for cover, narrowly escaping the crushing force of Deathbrid's claws.

Tucker and Sam slid across the stone floor and collided with the wall that Jack was hanging on. Jazz was still huddled with her mother – who was gradually regaining consciousness – tucked protectively in her arms a few feet away, and she seemed to be paying attention to little else.

"KIDS!" Jack cried as Sam and Tucker thumped against the stone beside his left foot. "Are you alright?"

"Uhhh," Sam said, placing a hand on her forehead as she sat up. "I think so..."

"I'm alright," Tucker said, pushing himself up and climbing to his feet.

"Good," said Jack, "then would you please get me down from here before that bird thing gets unstuck?"

Tucker was already a step ahead of the man. As soon as he managed to stand he began examine the one of the metal restraints that held Jack Fenton's wrists to the wall.

"Ok..." Tucker muttered as he started fussing with the clamps on Jack's shackles, "I think I can figure this out. Sam, you wouldn't happen to have a safety pin or anything, would you?"

Sam did not reply. She was no longer paying attention to Tucker. Her gaze had become fixed on the duel that had been going on in the background the whole time – the duel that as of yet had gone mostly unnoticed. Her violet eyes were wide, and her mouth hung open slightly as she watched Danny and Keeper break apart and slide in opposite directions. Neither combatant lost their footing as they skidded back, and so the two of them soon found themselves glaring at each other from across the chamber – but Sam was not concerned with the nature of the fight itself. Her focus was set firmly on Danny. _He_ was the thing that had her mesmerized.

"Sam, are you listening to me?" Tucker said after receiving no response to his previous question. "Sam?"

Tucker looked over to the girl beside him only to find that she was goggling at something in the center of the room. As he turned around and followed her stare, he too became enthralled and abandoned his attempts to free Jack Fenton. It didn't take long for Jazz, the recently awoken Maddie, and Jack to turn their attention to where Keeper and Danny were now circling each other like wrestlers. The room fell completely silent, and even Deathbird stopped her squirming and swiveled her head to observe in astonishment.

Danny was radiant.

His ghost powers had always given him the ability to glow, but none of them had ever seen anything like this before. Something had awoken inside of him while everyone else had been distracted by their own concerns, and his power levels had skyrocketed. All around his body, green energy crackled with shots of silvery-white, enveloping the young man in what looked like a shell of ghostly electricity. His eyes blazed like green stars, and Sam could swear that she could feel the waves of an almost angelic wrath emanating from him like heat from a furnace.

"Three years," Danny seethed as he jutted a hand out toward his father and made a fist, still keeping his eyes locked on Keeper. As Danny clenched his fingers into a ball, the metal restraints on his father's wrists and ankles illuminated with that strange electrical energy and shattered as if they were made of blown glass. Jack fell free and slid to the floor, still gaping at his dazzling son as he landed and collapsed forward onto his knees.

"You stole three years of my life!" Danny continued. He then pointed at the twisted cage with his other hand and made a swift gesture over toward Deathbird. The cage lit up the way the shackles had and tore itself away from the wall. It followed Danny's finger like a dog would follow its master and slammed itself in front of the bird, further obstructing her attempts to wriggle free from the entrance.

"You took me from my family and friends!" Danny bellowed. "You tried to kill the girl I love! You threatened my mother and chained up my father and tried to trap me in a cage, and I have had ENOUGH!"

Danny's words echoed off of the walls of the chamber, and Sam felt herself inadvertently trembling at the power that reverberated in his voice. She was vaguely aware of the shocked gasps of those around her, and had it been anyone other than Danny who had spoken, Sam would probably have feared for her life. He was awesome and magnificent, and everyone in the room could now feel the strength of his presence.

There was only one who truly remained steady at the sound of Danny's voice. There was only one who stayed unfazed and unimpressed by his explosion of power.

And that individual was Keeper.

Throughout it all, Keeper had held his composure. He was simmering with his own anger and his reptilian eyes were set in a glower, but he did not seem to be intimidated by the young man in front of him. If Keeper was at all frightened by Danny's display, he was doing a very good job of hiding it.

The skeletal creature raised his only usable hand up to his mouth and licked the sharp edges of his talons with a grey tongue. An inky blackness that resembled the energy of his dark portals flared around Keeper's cadaverous body like a demonic fire, and he craned his skinny neck from side to side with a series of loud pops.

"Very well, Phantom," Keeper hissed, lowering himself into a defensive stance and holding his good arm out in front of him like a rapier. "I've also had enough. That wretched mother of your has cost me a hand, and I am _sick_ of trying to control you. Let's just end this."

Danny matched Keeper's stance as spectral lightning fizzled and gathered in his hands. His lips twitched into a snarl, and he spoke in a low whisper that somehow rang through the room as clear and audible as if it were a shout. "Yes. Let's."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: I am sorry this took so long. Two people in my family have gotten cancer, and things have been particularly complicated in my life. Both my mom and my cousin are now sick and undergoing chemotherapy, so I have a lot on my hands. Anyway, thank you for your understanding.


	30. Keeper Vs Phantom

Chapter 27: Keeper Vs. Phantom

Danny and Keeper charged each other with dizzying speed, closing the distance between them and clashing in the center of the room in a blur of green, silver, and black. Claws and fists collided over and over again in a vicious flurry as the two combatants repeatedly attempted to strike the other. They moved like the images in a fast-forwarded film, blocking and parrying each other's attacks with reflexes that were absolutely inhuman.

As the combatants battled with their bodies, their respective energies became entwined like a pair of grappling snakes. Black, inky fire and silver-green lightning twisted around each other as the two auras tried to extinguish one another – looking for all the world like a spiritual extension of the physical fight between the half ghost and the cadaverous creature.

Sam's violet eyes desperately darted around in her skull in an attempt to follow the action, but Keeper and Danny were moving much too fast for her to track in a fluid manner. Instead the scene registered in her mind like the pictures of a rapidly changing slideshow: A punch from Danny. A stab from Keeper. A spurt of blood as claws pierced the young man's shoulder. A glint of white flitting through the air as Danny rammed his fist into the creature's gaunt face and dislodged a sharpened tooth.

And all the while, Danny's spectral electricity wrestled with the dark tendrils of Keeper's demonic flame.

As Sam continued to watch the surreal scene unfold, her eyes caught sight of something else – something that needed to be taken care of.

The dark haired girl scrambled across the slick stone floor on her hands and knees – pushing past an awestruck Tucker as she hustled over toward the large figure of Jack Fenton.

"Uhhh, Mr. Fenton?" Sam said, sidling up next to the still-gaping man and tugging at the sleeve of his shirt. "Mr. Fenton, can you fix it so that the Ecto-Blaster I have will explode? You and your wife designed it, so you know how it works better than I do, and I need something that I can use as a bomb."

It took a moment for Jack to register that he was being spoken to.

"Wh-what?"

"The Ecto-Blaster," Sam repeated. "I need you to set it so that it will act like a bomb. Can you do that?"

"I can set it to a timed overload, I think," Jack said, shifting his glance toward the girl at his side and absently scratching his head. "But why do you need me to do that? I don't think it would be a good idea to throw something like that at Keeper while Danny is fighting him, Sam. Danny could get hurt..."

"I'm not planning on throwing it at Keeper," Sam replied, pointing over toward the chamber's entrance. "I'm planning on throwing it at _her_."

Jack's gaze followed Sam's finger and he soon saw what she meant. Deathbird had managed to slide the tip of one of her wings underneath the ovoid cage, and was pushing down against the floor in order gain leverage. She was attempting to topple the object out of her way so that she could finally free herself, and it looked like she was about to succeed.

Jack's eyes bulged as he watched the cage begin to tilt, and without another word the man held out his palm and gestured for Sam to give him the weapon by waggling the tips of his fingers. The raven haired girl placed the Ecto-Blaster in Jack's large hand, and he immediately set to work. Deathbird finally managed to shove the cage aside, and she was now beginning to push her way back into the chamber.

"I'll take care of this, Sam," the man said, adjusting the setting on the weapon and rising to his feet. The large gash that Deathbird had left on his chest was still throbbing, but Jack Fenton was not one to slow down because of a little pain, and he wanted to get at least one good shot in before the fight was over.

"This is for Danny," Jack muttered as he pulled his shoulder back and flung the makeshift-grenade at the clockwork monster. The Ecto-Blaster spun in lopsided circles as it flew threw the air toward its target, and as Jack watched the weapon land in Deathbird's massive rib cage and detonate in a burst of neon green, he remembered how good it felt to fight ghosts. The adrenaline that rushed through his veins was something he had sorely missed, and despite the seriousness of the situation he couldn't help but feel a surge of satisfaction.

Deathbird's body was already weakened from the massive abuse it had taken when the monster faced Tucker and Sam earlier, and this last blow was more than her metallic form could handle. As the green energy of the gun exploded in a fiery blaze, the gears and metal plating that made up the monster's composition were torn apart. Scraps of Deathbird went flying in all directions; her massive head broke free of her spine and fell to the floor with a loud _clank_. The beak of Deathbird's detached head snapped dolefully at the air a few times before the blue flame in her eyes flickered out and died.

"Deathbird!" Keeper shrieked, pausing in his fight with Danny just long enough to witness his precious creation being reduced to shrapnel. Black energy flared and roiled around his skeletal form as his rage spiked. "THAT DOES IT!"

Keeper lunged forward and slashed Danny across the chest, tearing through the logo on his uniform and slicing deep into the underlying flesh. Danny grimaced and recoiled as he felt the creature's talons cut through muscle and scrape against the surface of his sternum. Pain coursed through his body, and the young half-ghost clutched at his chest and collapsed onto his knees as blood gushed from the wound.

Keeper struck again, this time stabbing Danny in the shoulder and forcing the young man flat onto his back. Danny's spectral electricity faltered and quailed as Keeper's dark flames lashed out and began to engulf the half-ghost's power. The emaciated creature crouched over his fallen opponent and pulled his arm back with a sharp jerk as he prepared to attack once more – this time aiming for the throat.

"So long, Phantom," Keeper hissed vehemently.

The talons descended toward Danny's exposed jugular with the speed of a python.

But Danny phased.

Keeper's claws struck stone as Danny became intangible and hurled himself up into the air, passing through his enemy and re-solidifying right behind the bony creature. In one swift motion, Danny landed, whirled around, and snagged Keeper in a headlock with his left arm. Keeper roared in anger, and as his skeletal jaw opened, Danny struck. He cut Keeper's cry short by thrusting his free fist into Keeper's open mouth. He then drove his arm downward, ignoring the flailing and the muffled gurgle of his opponent as he pressed his hand deeper and deeper, down Keeper's slimy throat and all the way into his underfed gut. He then proceeded to drag Keeper across chamber and shove him against the side of the stone basin – still holding his arm inside of Keeper's esophagus as the emaciated creature continued to spasm.

Danny knew what was contained in that basin from his experience inside Hollow. He knew what the black water showed what it was connected to. And he had a hunch that if he did this correctly, he might be able to kill two birds with one very large, ghost-powered stone.

"So long, Keeper," Danny grunted as he pressed his captive firmly against the basin. "I'm going to break your maze while I break you!"

The young half-ghost gritted his teeth and began to gather every last ounce of power he could muster within his chest. And then he pushed. He pushed his powers past the brink of his limitations, thrusting his energy outward as forcefully as he could manage. Green and silver lightning traveled through Danny's body as if he were a conduit for spectral energy. It swarmed around him and through him in a tumultuous flurry, coursing down his arm and into the fist buried in Keeper's stomach. It continued on through Keeper's flesh, and still further into the basin that Keeper was pressed up against. Danny closed his eyes and allowed himself to become swept up in the current of his own overactive power, breathing deep and accepting whatever fate this decision would lead him to.

Danny was pretty sure that his body was never meant to handle this kind of duress, but he also knew that it was going to take everything he had and more in order to destroy Keeper's Maze. The spectral electricity buzzed painfully as it ran through him, searing his nerves and causing his eyes to burn like hot coals in his skull. He could taste the blood that trickled down from his nostrils and into his mouth, and a pressure was building in his chest that he hoped was not the onset of cardiac arrest – although it wouldn't surprise him if it was.

Danny was only vaguely aware of the high-pitched shriek as Keeper was blown apart by the outward eruption of the half-ghost's power. His perception only remotely noted the hot, black liquid that sprayed him like a burst of oil from an overheated barrel as Keeper exploded in a mist of grey flesh and dark blood. The desperate shouts of his friends and family also struck his senses in a distant sort of way, and he scarcely registered his own excruciating cries of agony as he continued to pour more and more energy into the basin before him. It was like he was hovering outside of himself, experiencing the events from across a great chasm. He found himself pondering the question of whether he was going to die, and the fact that it was a distinct possibility oddly didn't bother him all that much.

Something in his intuition told him that he was making the right choice. Some deep rooted instinct assured him that this would work – that it would send the people trapped in the maze back where they belonged – even if it cost him his own life. Maybe it was his destiny to martyr himself to this cause. Or maybe it was just his bad luck. Whatever the case, he was not going to stop until the maze was torn apart. In truth, his powers were now so out of his control at this point that he probably couldn't stop even if he wanted to. He was trapped until he ran out of strength or died – whichever came first.

It wasn't long before Danny got his answer. He could feel the last ounce of power flow out from his hand, and the spectral lighting fizzled out and died like a campfire in the rain. Danny could no longer maintain his ghost form. A white ring of light appeared around his waist and traveled along his body, transforming him back into his human self. Puffs of smoke rose from his tattered form and he was glazed with a thin coating of sticky black gore from Keeper. Every muscle in Danny's body quailed from overexertion, and he crumpled to the floor as his legs submitted to frailty.

At first he thought he had failed. At first he thought that his efforts had not been enough.

But then the basin began to crack.

It started small – as the formation of miniscule fractures in the surface of the stone. The fractures quickly spread and deepened into penetrating fissures, and the black water rushed out of every crevice that manifested in the basin in volumes that were impossible from such a small object. As the dark liquid spilled onto the floor and the basin crumbled into dust, the entire chamber started to tremble and quake. The walls began to warp and roil, taking on a strange inky sheen as if they were made of thick, black molasses. The walls then started to surge forward, closing in on the six individuals like the sides of a slowly deflating balloon.

Danny realized his mistake only when it was too late. He had been so secure in his convictions that he had not stopped to consider the effect his actions might have on his surroundings. He had been so certain that breaking Keeper's Maze would free the souls held inside that he forgot to think about those who were not actually in the maze – those still in the dark chamber.

Something was making the chamber collapse in on itself, although Danny was unclear as to what that was. Perhaps the overwhelming force of Danny's power was causing this place to fall apart. Or perhaps the basin he just destroyed had been the fulcrum of the room – the bolt holding the dark chamber together. In either case, Danny knew that he and the people he cared about were in trouble.

Before long, the contorting walls of the chamber began to swallow him, and the sliver of his remaining strength started to fade. He could hear his sister, his parents, and his friends screaming his name, but he knew he would never be able to reach them. His mind started to drift, and the dark shroud of unconsciousness began to wrap itself around his brain. He tried to fight it. He tried to think of some way to save himself and those he loved. But sleep was swiftly descending upon him, and soon he was plummeting into an endless night. The last thing he was aware of was a strange tugging sensation that pulled at his body like a gravitational pulse.

And his perception ceased.

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A/N: I'm really sorry it took so long, guys. Things around here erupted in chaos and on top of it all I broke my left hand which made typing slow, but life has started to settle once again and for the moment things are looking up. Anyway, thank you for your patience, and I hope you enjoy the resolution.


	31. Immortal Desert

Chapter 28: Immortal Desert

The dark skinned man sat patiently next to the desert portal, a broad smile painted across his weathered face. He no longer had his two camels with him, so he sat alone on the yellow sand of the Thar Desert, watching the endless waves of gold ripple in the gentle breeze. He liked the immortal beauty of this place. It gave him a sense of tranquility.

He couldn't help but be amused as he thought about what he had done. He had lied. A lot. He had lied when he told Miss Manson that he didn't know what she was looking for. He had led her around for six days even though he knew exactly where to find the portal. He had feigned concern about what she was going to do when they finally reached their destination, despite the fact that he knew perfectly well what her intentions were. He had even lied when he said his name was Naveen.

The man's eyes flickered red as he let out a hearty laugh, and it occurred to him that this human face he wore was the biggest lie of all. This body was merely a shell – granted a rather _convincing_ shell – but this was not what he really looked like, and this was not what he really was. However, he felt no remorse for having been deceitful. In fact, he was quite pleased with himself. He had directed the course of events with subtlety and finesse, and everything turned out just as it was supposed to.

He had waited for he perfect timing before allowing Sam to find the portal, ensuring that the Phantom would be there to find her when she landed. His discovery of Tucker and Jazz had been no coincidence, and he had gotten them where they needed to be as well. He had even helped prod Jazz into her decision to go into the portal. The things that had seemed convenient had actually been calculated, and he had done everything without anyone suspecting that he was doing anything at all. He liked it that way. He liked keeping his hand hidden until the very end of the game. He liked gently nudging the players into their proper places without them realizing he was doing it. But most of all, he liked seeing everything work out the way he thought it should.

"Any moment now..." he whispered, looking over at the swirling vortex. The man slowly rose to his feet, moving with the calm, casual demeanor of someone who had all the time in the world. He could feel the shift and pull coming from within the portal as Keeper's Maze tore itself apart, but he was in no rush. He knew what he was doing.

The man knew that the thousands of people trapped inside of the maze had been sent back to various places on Earth once the basin was shattered. He knew that there would be celebrations of reunited families all over the world with the massive influx of missing persons. But what of those who were not in the maze when it broke? What of the six heroic souls trapped in the dark chamber that was collapsing in on itself? There was a version of the story that ended with their sacrifice. There was a scenario in which the salvation of thousands came at the price of those six lives.

But he was not a fan of that ending. Perhaps this was more interference than was appropriate, but the world needed heroes like the Phantom, and he wasn't about to deny the boy the opportunity to have some joy after three years of torment. After all, the Phantom washis responsibility. He knew that what he was about to do was going to cause a certain pair of his associates to have a fit, but he really didn't care. He was going to do it anyway.

The man in the desert raised his dark hand above his head, and a scepter set with a clock appeared in his fist. The portal surged as the delicate fabric of time and space quailed under his command, and it wasn't long before the maelstrom obeyed his will and spat out a cluster of unconscious people who fell into a heap on the sun-baked sand. The man brought the scepter down in a swift motion then tucked it behind his back, and the portal was finally allowed to wink out of existence.

Danny was the first wake. The heat of the sun pounded on his exhausted body, and as his eyes cracked open golden light filled his senses. _Light_. Wherever he was, there was light! And there was warmth. And apparently there was sand squelching between his fingers, chafing against his cheek, and slipping into his clothing. But how was that possible? How could he have escaped the darkness of the collapsing chamber? Was he dead? Was this Heaven? Why was Heaven so hot and full of itchy sand?

"Wake up, Phantom," a voice said from somewhere above him.

Danny groaned and opened his eyes fully. He was lying on his stomach, staring at a pair of sandaled feet that stood in the glimmering sand. As he peered up at the man in front of him, he couldn't help but register the icy blue chill in his breath that told him he was actually in the presence of a ghost.

"Where am I?" Danny croaked. "And who are you?"

"You are in the Thar Desert – on Earth," the man replied. "And I – well, I am someone who is just about as proud of you as anyone could be."

The man's form began to unravel in thin strips as if it were the outer layer of a mummy, revealing the ghost that was underneath. Chestnut brown skin became a pale blue, dark irises glowed to red, and a zigzag scar appeared across his left eye. His desert clothing was replaced by a flowing purple cloak with a hood that billowed gracefully in the gentle breeze. Periodically the ghost's form would shift between that of a child, a young man, and a elderly man.

"Clockwork!" Danny gasped. "How did you – since when could you –"

"I literally have all the time in the universe, Danny," Clockwork said, answering Danny's question before it was fully asked. "You really think I couldn't figure out a trick as simple as changing my appearance in the span of an eternity? Compared to the maintenance of the timeline, this is child's play." The ghost grinned and held out a hand to help the young man to his feet.

"So I'm... alive?" Danny said, as he took Clockwork's hand and hoisted himself up. "You saved me?"

"Yes," replied Clockwork. "You and your family and your friends."

Danny looked over at his sleeping companions, then looked back at Clockwork. There was a pause as the young half-ghost allowed his situation to process through his brain. He was alive. He was on Earth. He was... _free_!

Clockwork knew what Danny was going to do next, but somehow it still managed to catch the ghost a little off guard. After all, just because he knew what was coming didn't mean that he was accustomed to such things.

Danny took a deep breath, then lunged forward, grabbing Clockwork around the waist and hugging the Master Of All Time as he wept with relief. Clockwork blinked as Danny's tears slid down the glass case that held the timepiece in his chest. The whole thing was rather undignified.

"Thank you..." Danny cried.

"In the grand scheme of things I actually did very little," Clockwork replied as he awkwardly patted the boy on the back. "You and your friends did all of the real work, and because of your efforts Keeper's Maze is gone and all of the people that were trapped inside are free. Now, your girlfriend is going to be waking up soon, so why don't you go sit with her. Oh, and give her this." Clockwork pried Danny's arms off of him and pulled out the wad of cash that Sam had given him when he had still been posing as Naveen.

"I'm not actually a tour guide and I don't actually need the money," Clockwork said as he put the cash in Danny's hand. "But as you can see, she paid quite a lot to go looking for you. She traveled a long way and faced extreme danger, and she did it for you. Remember that."

"I will," Danny said. "I always will."

"I should get back to where I belong," Clockwork said with the hint of a reluctant sigh. "The Observants will have quite an earful for me."

"Thanks again, Clockwork," Danny said. "Without you we would –"

"Don't thank me," Clockwork interjected, raising his hand to silence the boy. "I only lent you my aid because you _earned_ it, so don't expect me to always be there to bail you out. And don't think I'm giving you a ride home. You can do _that_ yourself."

Without another word, Clockwork disappeared in a circular sweep of his purple cloak. Danny watched the space where the ghost had been for several minutes, and it was only when he heard Sam coughing that he turned away and rushed over to her side.

"Sam!" Danny said as he knelt down beside the sputtering girl. She had landed on her back, but she still managed to inhale quite a bit of sand.

"D-Danny?" Sam coughed as her violet eyes fluttered open. "Where are we?"

"We're in the desert and we're safe," Danny said, reaching behind the girl's back and lifting her up into a sitting position. "Everything is going to be alright."

"How did you do it, Danny?" Sam asked. "How did you save us from that collapsing room?"

"I didn't. Your tour guide did."

There was a short pause while Sam blinked at Danny as though he had just said the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard. "What?"

Danny snickered and handed Sam the money that had been concealed in his palm. "Clockwork wanted me to give this back to you. He said he doesn't need it."

Sam's eyes widened and her face was overrun by an indignant glower. "Clockwork? That was _Clockwork_? That sneaky, manipulative son of a –"

"DANNY!" The collective cry cut across Sam's sentence as Maddie, Jack, Jazz, and Tucker all regained consciousness within moments of each other. The four newly-awakened individuals began scrambling across the desert sand on all fours, and it wasn't long before Danny and Sam found themselves at the bottom of a very enthusiastic pile of people.

"Oh, Danny!" Maddie sobbed as she tackled her son – and subsequently, Sam – to the ground and assaulted his battered cheek with a series of kisses. "My sweet, wonderful, courageous boy!"

"You did it, man!" Tucker chimed in as he and Jazz flung themselves into the manic embrace. "That was amazing! Your new power is unbelievable!"

"I'm so proud of you, Danny!" Jazz added.

"Danny!" The sound of Jack's voice gave only a moment's warning before the man's weight was added onto pile, causing everyone underneath him to echo in a chorus of unappreciative groans. "My boy, safe and alive and a hero at that! It's a miracle!"

"Ok, ok! One at a time!" Danny gasped. "I can't hug you all at once!"

Danny's words went unheeded, and he couldn't help but laugh as he became even more entangled in the squirming knot of bawling people. There was nothing comfortable about his situation. He was being smothered by the frantic hugs of a bunch of sweaty, bloody bodies that were in desperate need of showers. His right leg was twisted slightly underneath the weight of Tucker, his sister's elbow jabbed painfully into his side, Sam's face was squashed against his chest as she muffled a string of impolite complaints, and they were all buried under his father's girth. He was famished, sore, and both physically and mentally exhausted – not to mention exceedingly homesick.

But despite the discomfort, home could wait. For the moment, Danny was content to be where he was: in the sweltering heat, on the grating surface of the sand, surrounded by the five most important people in his life.


	32. Lost Time

Chapter 29: Lost Time

Sam stood with her arms folded on the ledge of the Fenton's rooftop as she watched the last sliver of sunlight dip behind the horizon of Amity Park. The purple sweep of the sky consumed the last bit of pink that traced the edge of the horizon as the sun disappeared, and Sam could feel the cool breeze of dusk lick at the sides of her pale face. Next to her feet, a small radio buzzed softly with the evening news:

"The reappearance of several thousand missing and presumed dead persons all over the world has authorities baffled," the announcer's voice said. "Due to some of the bizarre reports made by these missing persons, rumors are now circulating that Amity Park's own Phantom – a ghost who has not been seen in Amity for several years – was somehow involved with the miraculous return of these individuals. Whether or not these rumors are true has yet to be determined, but the joyful reunions of families around the globe has..."

Sam bent down and turned the radio off. There was no point in listening to the rest. She knew what had happened better than anyone, and she wasn't particularly interested in hearing the speculations of reporters who had very little in the way of detailed information.

Besides, she didn't need the radio to tell her that Danny was a hero. She had known that for years.

Sam let out a sigh as her eyes caught sight of the first speckles of starlight. She thought of all the things that had happened, of all the risks she had taken, and a smile hinted at the corners of her mouth. She could hear the muffled clamor of celebration coming from inside – the low thrum of music, the excited chatter of Danny's family, the hysterical laughter of Tucker who apparently thought some joke he just told was _very _funny – and she was glad that all she had done had not been in vain. Danny was home. He was with his family. Jack and Maddie had even decided to reactivate the Ghost Portal, their ghost hunting ambitions now rekindled with a newfound enthusiasm and geared toward aiding their champion of a son. Everything had turned out as well as anyone could have hoped.

But despite the fact that everything had worked out, despite the triumph, Sam couldn't help but feel a touch of sadness. It swelled like a tenderness in her chest, and it was beautiful in its own way. She knew that there was no going back to the way things had been before Danny's abduction. Things done could never really be undone. The time lost would not be easy to make up, and the experience of Keeper's Maze would always linger inside all of their minds. It was the experience of pain, the experience of struggle. It was the experience of survival and prevailance. It was both tragic and joyous, and it would always be with them – nestled secretly in the deep places of their minds.

"Hey," Danny's voice came from the doorway. "Why are you out here? We're ordering pizza, don't you want some? We got veggie, just for you."

"Oh," Sam said, spinning around to face him. "Yeah, I just wanted to watch the sun go down. And get some fresh air."

Danny laughed. "So Dad's attempts at composing a 'Team Phantom' theme song started getting to you too, huh?"

"It _was_ pretty bad," Sam said with a smile. "But really I just came out here to think. I mean, so much has happened and I just can't help but wonder... what now?"

Danny crossed over to where Sam was and leaned over the railing as he gazed across the city. Locks of black hair flopped lazily over his ice-blue eyes, and Sam couldn't help but notice how handsome he had grown up to be – despite the fact he was a little skinny from spending three years in the maze. She supposed that he always had been handsome in her eyes, but he was no longer the awkward kid that she had known. He had grown into a young man, and it suited him.

"I don't know," Danny said. "We're going to tell everyone that I was one of the missing people who was rescued by the Phantom, so we don't have to worry about explaining _that_ one away, but things are still probably gonna be a little complicated for awhile. I mean, I have a lot of catching up to do. I have to work hard if I want to get my high school diploma so that I can move on with my life. I have to readjust to being in the real world and get used to whatever changes occurred while I was gone. Things won't be the same as they used to be, but we're all together and that's what matters."

"Yeah," Sam sighed.

They stood together in silence for quite some time, watching the purple sky bleed to black. The tiny glowing spherules of stars dotted the sky like holes in a dark velvet blanket, and the moon rose like a giant gold coin on the horizon. Danny turned his gaze toward the girl beside him, and a tingling rush surged through his body as he saw the glow of the moon reflect off of her onyx hair like flecks of glitter. She was as beautiful in that moment as she had ever been, and Danny knew that it was high time he told her what he had been thinking ever since they arrived back in Amity.

"Sam," Danny said, "you are my hero. You know that, right?"

"Funny," Sam chuckled, "and here I thought _you_ were the one who saved the day. I mean, that's what the radio says..."

"Oh, get serious! You know I couldn't have done it without your help." Danny said. "You really rescued me out there, in more ways than one, and you did it with nothing but your force of will. You went to the ends of the earth to find me, and if it hadn't been for you, I'd still be trapped in that horrible place."

"Force of will, huh? I guess that's just your way of calling me stubborn." Sam turned her gaze to meet his, her eyes shining like purple amethysts in soft lighting of the moon. Her cheeks developed a faint flush as she looked up at him. "But you already know why I came looking for you. You say that I'm your hero, but you must know that you've always been mine. Danny, I love –"

Danny pressed his fingers to her mauve lips and smiled.

"I know," he said. "I love you, too." He gathered Sam into an embrace and gazed down at her, gently brushing back a strand of her raven hair as he folded his other arm around the small of her back.

"We have a lot of lost time to start making up for," Sam said, draping her slender arms around his neck.

Danny leaned forward and pulled her close, tilting his head as his lips gravitated toward hers. And just before he caught her in a kiss, he whispered, "Let's start _now_."


	33. Epilogue

Epilogue

_I always had dreams of light, and I thought that I was dreaming of a place. But now that I am home, now that I am myself again, I realize that the light did not come from the place. It came from the people. _

_Mom, Dad, Jazz, Tucker._

_Sam._

_You are my light._

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A/N: Thank you so much for reading Keeper's Maze. I hope you enjoyed it. Three months, about 30 chapters, and over 30,000 words have gone into this story, and I admit that I am a little sad that it is over. I am massively grateful to all of my readers, and I wish nothing but wonderful things for each and every one of you. You have all been an absolute joy to write for, and I cannot thank you enough!

Smiles,

Lyra-Con.


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